The Other Path
by HowlingMisfit
Summary: A remake of my first stories Errands and Consequence. (Originally published back in 2012.) Rebooted for my 10th story on this site: Luigi tries to adapt to his life after the Chaos Heart and all the mental scaring that comes with it. But it's difficult to move on when some things just refuse to die. (Warning: Major Spoilers in the reviews)
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note. (IMPORTANT)

Hello! It's wonderful to see you again. I just can't stay away. Can I? Ha... Anyway. I'm a real sucker for numbers, so for my 10th story on this site. I thought I'd reboot the first two stories I have ever written and published here. (But you'd probably know that already. I mentioned it in my last story and in the description of this one.) Looking back through the original works was such a nostalgic trip for me, and it was a blast seeing how much I have grown as a writer. I mean, the original stories were published back in 2012.

Anyhow, before we begin. I want to thank the people who have supported me on this site. It kept me going and I always get so exited when I see a new review. I know that it's simple, and a little silly, but I means so much to me. I'm not going to give names, you know who you are. ;)

Thank you again, I hope you enjoy the story.

And I'll see you in the next chapter.

-HowlingMisfit

 **The Other Path**

"Do you know what?"

"What?"

"I don't think that I can ever get tired of the sunrise..."

"Really now?"

"Yeah...I never seen anything so beautiful in my life."

 **Chapter One: Forgotten Faces**

Despite the festive lights that surround him, and the happy chatter of his friends, old and new. Luigi felt alone. Though this is a feeling that was alien to him, and yet, he couldn't stop to think that maybe he had always been alone. That maybe he had spent his entire life like this and never really cared to notice. He shook off the thought with a sigh. Knowing that they were toxic. He should be celebrating after all.

He leaned into his palm, elbow on the table next to a plate of untouched pasta. This new hallow feeling had started about a few days ago and it hasn't let up since. It's grip only growing tighter, and Luigi wonders how long it would take for him to be unable to breathe. He eyed the scene in front of him with a metallic taste in the back of his throat. This party wasn't helping his mood either. This party was to celebrate those heroes, after all.

They just got back from saving all the different dimensions and destroying the Chaos Heart, and the folks here in Flipside decided that this was the best way to thank them. Luigi stole a glimpse at the plate next to him, not even sorry that this food may go to waste. He knew he should be having a good time too, but he had a sinking feeling that he shouldn't be here. That he wasn't one of these fabled heroes.

"Bro..?"

The new voice startled the man in green, and whatever train of thought he had left him in the cold. Luigi snapped back into his normal, happy self; greeting Mario with a weak smile. Though whatever attempts he made to look as if everything was normal was in vain. Mario always had the ability to see right through him. His brother was no fool. Sometimes it seems like he knows more about Luigi than Luigi himself.

"Are you okay...? You only grabbed a plate and went into a corner." Mario whispered, not wanting to draw attention, something that Luigi was grateful for. The younger brother sighed, carelessly pushing the pasta around on the plate with his fork "I'm fine, just tired..." he lied, though he knew that Mario wasn't having any of it. He felt his brother sit next to him.

"I'm...sorry...what they did to you was unforgivable..." Mario began, and Luigi knew that he was talking about Mr. L. Maybe what he's feeling is the after effects of being under mind control. Though the thought of fighting his own brother made him sick enough. He can't even begin to think about how he was used. But this wasn't what he's dealing with right now. Mr. L was far from his mind.

Mario rested a hand on his back. "Nastasia says that there may be some side effects from her brain washing, and to come to her if you're having any problems..." he whispered, Luigi nodded. Though he knew that he could never come to her. But that wasn't his problem, even though he doesn't know exactly what's really eating at him. Luigi turned to fully face his brother. To think of it, he doesn't really know anything.

"Mario...what was...he like?"

Luigi pushed his plate to him, hoping Mario would take it away. Mario looked confused "who...?"

Luigi sighed "you know...him..." this time Luigi was truly afraid to draw attention to them, silently berating himself for asking Mario here, of all places. It finally clicked in Mario's mind about just who his brother was taking about.

"Oh...Mr. L. Right..." Mario began, and Luigi swore that he was reluctant to even talk about the supposed mechanic, but this is his brother, Mario isn't scared of anything. "He was...I don't know how to describe him. He was like you but..." Mario shook his head "you were in a lot of pain, Luigi. I think it's best that you forget about him and move on. It's for the best."

Luigi sighed, defeated "okay bro, but just one more thing...what happened during that final fight?"

It could've been a trick of the light, but Luigi swore he saw something change in his brother's face, and it seemed that Mario may had been too tired to recall the fight that happened only days ago. "Dimentio took over the Chaos Heart and the void...and he knocked you out. You were out of it for the entire battle, but don't worry. You didn't miss much" Mario chuckled, patting Luigi on the shoulder "now lighten up, the battle has been won; and everybody is safe and sound. No need to be moping around like it's the end of the world."

Luigi took a deep breath and smiled, not wanting to let his brother down he stood up. "You're right, bro..." he picked up the plate of pasta, taking a small bite "it's time to party!"

Mario stood up next to him, giving a quick side hug before joining the other heroes. "Now go talk to some of Blumeire's formal minions, you might even make some new friends..."

With that Luigi watched as Mario left him alone again. Which was a good thing, as Luigi didn't want his brother to see a good plate of pasta tossed in the garbage can.

End of Chapter


	2. Chapter 2

_"What's wrong?"_

 _"I don't... I never seen beach sand in person before..."_

 _"Well, there's a first time for everything."_

 _"You're right..."_

 **Chapter 2: Emptiness**

It had been three months since the Chaos Heart. Luigi had been counting the days. Three months and four days.

The ceiling fan above spun lazily over his head, it was a sight that he was familiar with. As he spent more and more time alone in his room, Luigi knew that his friends and his brother were worried about him. But a small part of him didn't really care. He didn't know where this lack of empathy came from, it's like there was a switch inside of his brain that was turned off. Though whatever it was, it was starting to eat him alive.

For once he was home alone. Mario had gone to play tennis with the others. Despite being invited himself, Luigi barely left his room today. After some pushing, Mario reluctantly left him to his own devices. He loved his brother, but as the months slowly passed them by, Mario became more of a babysitter. It made him sick.

Luigi forced himself to sit up, hair a horrible mess, and a face that went unshaven for several months. Three months, four days, 14 hours. The mirror across from his bed only showed him a stranger.

"Dear Grambi...what happened to me..."

Luigi scratched his face with a huff, his bathrobe hung from his shoulders. He's thinner than he used to be, and yet he still couldn't accept that he now has the ability to suck in his stomach and reveal part of a rib cage. There it was again, that crippling self doubt and this exhausting depression. But what he hated the most that he's starting to forget what his life was like before that incident several months ago. Three months, four days, 14 hours, 12 minutes.

Slowly his ears began to pick up the sound of shuffling feet and murmurs outside of his bedroom door and this strange fear began to creep up his spine. He had to get out of his room. They're surrounding him. They're out to get him.

They're out to get you.

Quickly Luigi knotted the belt of his robe and slipped on a pair of shoes, he practically jumped out of his skin when he heard knocking.

"Luigi..." A voice whispered behind his door and it sounded like Mario, but at the same time it didn't sound like Mario. As it never registered in his brain of what his brother sounded like when he's in pain. Luigi stopped trying to pry his window open as his panic attack and paranoia slowly subsided. "Please..." Mario begged, and it made his stomach hurt. "Just let me in, we're all out here for you and we just want to help..."

Luigi was frozen in his spot, unsure if he should continue climbing out the window or opening the door. He knew that his brother cares about him, and that he's surrounded by friends. But he honestly felt like they weren't his friends anymore. He fought off the thought once more.

And closed the window.

"Mario...?" Luigi finally found his voice and he felt his brother light up on the other side. The youngest opened the door to see his brother with a hopeful smile, in the corner of his eye he could see a few of their friends silently watching what he would do. He didn't want them here. Luigi suddenly imagined himself locked in a cage like a feral dog, his friends standing at a safe distance with sticks in hand.

Luigi took a deep breath, grabbing Mario by the collar of his shirt he quickly pulled his brother inside of his room, slamming the door. He took a step back, watching what Mario would do now that he's locked in here with the dog.

Mario was silent for a moment, and Luigi wondered if he knew what was running through his head, what Mario would say to the hateful version of Luigi who lived behind the eyes of his only flesh and blood. Instead Mario pulled him into a hug, and it dawned on Luigi that he had forgotten what it was like to hold another human being. The darkness that plagued his mind began to clear up, pushing itself back into the cracks of his psyche.

"Please..." Mario begged. "Please get help...I still need you." It was nice to be needed, Luigi thought, but he liked hugs a bit more.

"Okay..." Luigi finally murmured, but he knew that Mario could hear him. "Okay, I will. Anything for you, bro."

This swirling pit where his chest used to be was still there, but this time it's grip loosened just a little bit. Enough for him to feel a little better.

Maybe even enough to think that he's going to be just fine.

End of Chapter

A/N: I originally wanted Luigi to hear Mr. L in his head like in the original. But I decided that that wasn't really need for this version of this story. Since this isn't really a comedy like the original. But hang in there, Mr. L is coming! But not in a way you'll expect. (At least I hope not. I hope I'm not predictable. Holy smokes


	3. Chapter 3

_"What is it...?"  
_

 _"A birthday cake."_

 _"Who is it for?"_

 _"For you."_

 _"Oh..."_

 **Chapter 3: Recovery**

It was about year two into this new situation when Luigi finally got into a comfortable routine.

He knew that early in the morning when the sun first rises, the morning dew that sits on the leaves in his garden shines like crystals. It was his favorite time to wake up. He pours coffee in his favorite mug, and he sits down in his chair to admire his garden. He always wanted a garden, but never had the time to start one. But it was suggested by his therapist as a way to relax so he had to find the time. Doctors orders.

Luigi cracked the window in their kitchen to let the crisp morning air in. He knew that winter will be here soon, so he had to treasure his precious flowers before he had to cover them. He'd be heart broken if anything were to happen to them.

From the other side of the house, he heard Mario grumble about something, slamming the bathroom door. Luigi couldn't help but to laugh, Mario will never be a morning person, and that never failed to amuse him.

Luigi finished the last of his coffee, watching Mario shuffle in. "You're up early." He took a sip from his mug. "Did I wake you up?" There was a pause, then Mario mumbled something, trying to find his own mug. "Sorry, what was that?" Luigi smiled, swirling the contents of his mug with a spoon.

Mario mumbled again before cleaning his throat. "Smelt the coffee, you knew that I couldn't resist, you devious bastard..."

Luigi chuckled in response, before taking another sip of his coffee. "Sorry, next time I'll wait a few more hours."

He watched as Mario poured a bowl of cereal, as it wasn't Luigi's day to cook. He sat down with a huff, face close to the cereal so he doesn't have to wait too long for the spoon to get to his mouth. "I can just feel your smile," he said without looking up, but he didn't complain, it's worth it if his brother is having a good day.

Luigi sighed, continuing to look out the window. "Today is my last appointment with my therapist..."

Mario paused, looking up at Luigi. "Really? With, uh, Ms. Portobello?"

Luigi nodded continuing to swirl his spoon in the mug absentmindedly, enjoying the soft clinking sounds the spoon makes. "Right, but now I'll have all of this free time, hope I don't start to get bored..." He poured himself a second cup of coffee.

Mario leaned back into his chair, bowl empty, "I'm sure you'll find something to do."

"Like what, start another garden?"

"Well, our front yard is starting to look pretty sad..."

Luigi shook his head, standing up with Mario's cereal bowl and empty mug, the red one, of course. "I'll think about it, but I have to get ready to leave. I don't want to be late for my final appointment." He placed the dishes into the sink before leaving the kitchen to return to his room.

"Just letting you know some shrubs would look great by the front door!" Mario called out when Luigi left the kitchen for his room, Luigi shook his head but he couldn't hide his smile. This was the day that he would be finally free.

He entered his room, stopping to stare at the blankets and sheets that were crumpled up on the bed. He knew that he has to get ready, but he will never leave the house with a messy bed. He hummed to himself as he lift up the pillow, but froze when a few pictures of houses fell out of the pillowcase. Luigi quickly looked over his shoulder, then closing the door incase his brother would see. He wasn't ready to break it to his brother that he was thinking of moving out.

Luigi knew that he owned the plot of land where that haunted mansion once sat but he gave that to his friend E. Gadd and his ghostly companions years ago. Moving in with the scientist wasn't an option, he wanted to be alone, but taking the land back seemed cruel. Luigi smiled at the thought of finally having a space all to himself, of course he loves his brother but he was ready to move on to better things, like independence.

He finished making the bed, then got dressed and ready to leave. Saying a quick goodbye to Mario, Luigi jogged out of the front door and around the house to grab his bike.

The air this morning was crisp, the sounds of the small mushroom town just waking up was familiar and comforting, a perfect day in Luigi's book. He came down a hill, smiling as the wind hits him in the face. Though it's quite the bike ride to the office building where he had held his sessions, it was worth it for the scenery alone. After what happened several years ago, he never felt comfortable in any machinery, even in his brother's own car.

A small building near the outskirts of the town came into view and his excitement swelled into his chest.

He was ready for freedom.

End of Chapter

A/N: I remember in the original story, I wanted Luigi to end up in a Nut House while Mr. L was narrating the whole time. I have no idea why I got rid of it. I wanted it to happen here, but it just didn't fit in this story either. Oh well.


	4. Chapter 4

_"I think you need a new name."  
_

 _"What do you mean by that?"_

 _"I think you know why."_

 _"..."_

 **Chapter 4: Ms. Portobello**

"Have you been having anymore nightmares?"

"Well...yeah. But they don't bother me as much as they used to. If anything I learned that writing them down helps."

He can hear the sound of a scribbling pen on notepad.

"What do you gain from writing these nightmares down...?"

Luigi had to pause for a moment. It was strange to explain the exact feeling he gets when he sees the nightmarish images written down in simple black and white.

"It's...calming, I guess. It seems harmless to me when I see it on paper."

"So in a way you're taking away its power?"

Luigi sat up from the couch he was laying on. "Yeah, exactly." Ms. Portobello adjusted her mushroom cap before she wrote something else down on her notepad. They sat there in silence and Luigi wondered if he had said something wrong.

"It seems that you have really improved so much since you started. Even when we took you off a few pills." She was to the point, very professional. It was something that Luigi had always appreciated since day one, he wasn't here to make friends. He just wanted to try to feel somewhat human again.

He heard the notepad slam shut and he watched as she adjusted her glasses. She reminded him a lot of Nastasia, at first it made him very uneasy but he learned to get past that. It wasn't her fault, she didn't do this to him. "Right then, I think you're a new man Mr. Segale...just don't forget what you learned here, remember to take your medication and you should do fine..."

Luigi sat up, not wanting to leave without a few questions of his own. "Am I able to live on my own...?"

A pause.

"Excuse me?"

Ms. Portobello flipped open her pad and Luigi felt his stomach drop. "I- I mean if I had the chance to live on my own, will I be okay to do so?" Luigi swallowed hard, trying to look casual.

She paused, as if she was thinking of what she should do. "I think...you should stay with your brother, at least until you have completely stopped having those nightmares..."

Luigi sighed. "Yes, I will do that. Thank you."

Ms. Portobello nodded, writing down something else. "Right. I think we're done here." She stood up to put her note pad in her briefcase, which was something that he never bothered to really get a good look of. He was about to say something else but stopped when he noticed the crest that belonged to the mushroom army.

"Hey...that's the Princess's crest...what's that doing on your suitcase?" Luigi sat up to get a better look but Ms. Portobello snatched it away before he could

"I got it from my father, he used to serve the crown." She quickly stated, continuing to gather up some of her own things, putting them in that suitcase.

Luigi nodded. "Oh, that's wonderful, that crest belongs to those who worked in the palace. My brother and I are allowed to have it too."

"Right." Ms. Portobello shook his hand before leaving. "You can see yourself out, I wish you the best of luck and don't be afraid to come back if you need to." Without another word she left him alone, Luigi knew that he could never completely be rid of this thing, but he is determined to never come back here again.

...

Outside of the building seems like a whole new world. The sky is brighter and the air seems fresher. Luigi couldn't help but to take a deep breath, this is what freedom tasted like. It was wonderful.

He went to unchain his bike, ready for the ride home. But something inside of him held him back. This is the first time he was free for a very long time, why would he want to just go back home? He turned his head and quickly spotted a small park, without another thought he hopped on his bike and sped down the path. It's been a long time since he been anywhere by himself.

...

An hour later Luigi sat down on a bench next to an older woman who was feeding bread crumbs to some birds. She nodded to him and he murmured a quick hello and asked for permission to sit next to her. But before he could really get comfortable, his phone began to ring. Absentmindedly he answers, but jumps when he hears Mario on the other end.

"Oh- sorry. Just lost track of time. Yeah..." Luigi paused. "Yeah, sorry bro, I didn't want to go straight home on my first day of freedom so I went to the park." Luigi stood up not realizing that a younger couple went to the older woman's rescue, as if Luigi was somehow a threat to her.

"Hey, how about this, why don't you join me here, maybe we can even stop for ice cream or something." Luigi turned to see that the older woman was gone but shrugged it off. "Yeah, cool. See you soon!"

Luigi shoved the phone into his pocket, grabbing his bike and heading straight for the ice cream shop. If all else fails, you can always win Mario over with ice cream.

But soon his smile began to fade on his way to the ice cream shop when he finally notices that the small town has gone through some changes. One of them being that the townsfolk aren't really that friendly towards him. Guess he never really noticed because the past two years he has been going back and forth from home to the therapist, subjecting his body to Grambi knows how many different treatments. He thought it was just depression, but it had spiraled to something he could never really understand. But he was glad that his big brother was there to support him throughout the pills and the needles...

Guess a small town like this can really turn on you.

Luigi locked his bike up and stepped inside of the small ice cream shop. This used to be their favorite place to go to, but when he sat down to wait for his brother, it seemed like all eyes were on him.

Suddenly something inside of him began to whisper 'go...go...go...' but before Luigi could really listen, or even figure out if that voice even belonged to him to begin with, Mario walked in and his smile seemed to light up the place. Luigi sighed, Mario is here. He's safe, they won't do anything if Mario is here.

Wait...why would he be worried about that?

Luigi shook off his paranoia, this is the town that the brothers had lived in for years. Everybody knows them by name. They are the heroes that protects this town and the Princess. He should feel like he's among friends, and yet...

Luigi shivered, but not in fear of them, but in fear of having to continue his therapy. There was this aftershock of a old fight or flight instinct that could never have really belonged to him. It just felt too alien. He could feel his muscles tighten and the hairs on his arms raise. It was only when Mario grabbed his hand that Luigi realized that he was ready to fight every last one of these people who dared to stare at him.

"Luigi?" Mario's voice almost reflected his emotions, as if Mario was ready to fight him to protect the strangers around them. The youngest honestly didn't know how to feel about that. Mario gave him a weak smile. "Listen, take a few deep breaths and I'm going to order for us. The usual, right?" Luigi quickly nodded, crossing his arms to hide the fact he suddenly felt cold. Mario left with a final glance towards his brother before ordering. The small crowd that was in the building with them seem to relaxed, Mario's here. They're safe, he wouldn't do anything to them as long as Mario is here.

The sickening twist in Luigi's stomach refuses to leave him be. Before the thoughts of running out and not looking back made a full return, Mario returned with two cones of ice cream, one vanilla and one peppermint chocolate chip. Mario handed him the green cone with a knowing smile, it was their father's favorite flavor too.

The two sat in silence, usually when they're here there's laughter and even a little light teasing. Now it just felt like Mario is continuing to babysit him. Luigi reached out to grab his hand, like the way he always does when he felt scared. Not noticing that the older brother fought back the natural reaction to flinch. "Mario, I'm sorry that I dragged you out here..." The older brother removed his hand, rising it to cut him off

"No, I'm sorry. I know it isn't fair to keep you trapped in the house. It just breaks my heart to see you go through all of this..." He trailed off, staring at the half eaten ice cream cone as if he wanted to just throw it away.

Maybe that's why all the Toads in the town are treating Luigi like a outsider, right? Luigi began to reason with himself, he had been trapped in this cycle of healing for Grambi knows how long, maybe they're not used to seeing Luigi in any other state of mind. As he continued to reason with his sudden anxiety, he began to feel somewhat normal again. Mario on the other hand continue to stare at him as if this mess was all his fault. Luigi hoped that Mario would eventually find his own peace of mind.

"Hey, I got an idea. Why don't we go visit the Princess? It seems like we haven't seen her in forever." Luigi asked with a knowing smile as something in Mario's eyes lit up at the mention of their friend. Any doubt that his brother may have had melted away.

Mario stood up. "Great idea, bro- let's get out of out here now so we don't waste daylight."

Luigi ignored the people that continued to stare at him.

Following his brother across town. The familiar castle that became visible in the distance was comforting to the younger brother. It was like a home away from home. The weak voice in the back of his mind began to sound more like a faded echo now, and for once Luigi honestly began to feel like his old self again. After all, this is the time to celebrate his first day of freedom.

End of Chapter

A/N: I wanted to focus on Mario and Luigi's brotherly love the most in this story. There are other characters coming in later, but the main story arc in this story is the brothers relationship. I'm also going to have some small reference to the original story here and there.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Oh wow, I heard about you! You and your brother completely demolished that tennis tournament!"  
_

 _"Thank you, I wasn't going to participate, but my other bro had an accident and I had to take his place, honestly I think it was just beginners luck..."_

 _"Beginners luck_ _or not, it was still_ _very_ _impressive..."_

 **Chapter 5: The Palace**

The interior of the castle was full of the usual activity when Mario and Luigi entered the main hall. This was the smaller castle, where Peach usually spends her summers in. Luigi made it his mission to avoid looking at the staff around him; choosing to stare at the heels of his brother. He didn't see Mario glance back at him, glad that Luigi isn't paying attention to the way the toads around him continue to stare at him. The very few koopas on the other hand, not even a glance. Odd, but welcoming.

The two finally reached the balcony where Peach likes to hangout. Mario suddenly stops, not even caring that Luigi will run into him.

There, sitting next to Peach was Bowser. Mario gave her a look as if she had finally lost her mind. None of them noticed as all the color had drained from Luigi's face. He took several steps back.

"Princess...?!" Mario stammered, confused about why Peach would invite the king that had been kidnapping her for so many years.

Peach raised her hand with that familiar sweet smile. "Just taking care of a few things, nothing to worry about Mario."

They stood there in silence, until Bowser gave a angry snort. "I'm allowed to visit my 'ahem' newly ex-wife...so buzz off you greasy meatball." He paused, for effect. "And don't forget to take your little green shadow with you!" Peach narrowed her eyes at the Koopa King, but before she said anything her face twisted to a look of concern, Mario turned to see what she's looking at and began to panic. Luigi was nowhere to be seen.

'Run, run, run...'

Luigi knew this castle like the back of his hand. Like every flower in his garden and like every new grey hair that pops up in his brothers mustache. He made it to the garage that sits just outside of her garden. He had fond memories here, he was the one that built the go-kart for Peach. Here Luigi used to fantasize about building one giant robot; he didn't know what he would do with it, but to build something that would become a masterpiece would be the highlight of his life. But those dreams were snuffed out when he began to see his therapist. He doesn't know why. Guess she doesn't like cool giant robots.

He also didn't understand why he ran, Luigi conquered his fear of Bowser years ago. As long as Mario was by his side, it didn't matter how big the monsters are. But the sight of the three of them together stirred something deep inside of him, an unknown panic...an unknown memory.

...

'The three of them fought together in synch, Peach and Mario working off of each other and Bowser shouting abuse. It took a toll on his body and his mind.

Then, he was falling. It seem that he fell from space or from a giant machine, he doesn't know. His body hurt, his clothes had been torn and burnt in several places.

He bounced when he hit the ground, and laid there. He knew when he had been defeated. Yet he stood up anyway. His anger and his adrenaline forced him to stand up and run. He will always run. If he doesn't, he will die...'

...

Mario was glad that he was the first to find Luigi. He didn't know what state of mind his brother was in and he didn't want anyone to get hurt...he paused. Luigi wouldn't even hurt a fly. Why would he even think of something like that? All Mario wanted to do was to find his brother and pretend that this day never happened. His baby brother was doing so well...

Luigi was sitting in Peach's go-kart. The kart itself was in a horrible state of disrepair and the sight alone was depressing. It's been a long time since it had seen daylight. It's been a long time since any of them have had any kind of fun.

He couldn't tell if Luigi wasn't aware of his presence, or that he didn't care. The youngest dragged his thumb across the top of the steering wheel, removing a thick layer of dust. "I'm not going back to the psychiatrist..." Luigi stated and a chill ran up Mario's spine, for a moment his brother sounded like... like... No. "You can't make me... I'm not going to be put in a corner and poked at..." He bared his teeth, staring at nothing. "You don't put a dog in the corner and not expect to be bit..."

Mario felt his stomach drop, guilt resurfacing despite the constant effort to keep it down. He placed his hand on Luigi's shoulder and was relieved that he wasn't rejected. "You're not a dog, Luigi. I'm sorry that we made you go, but I was so scared that I lost you..."

The unfamiliar glint that was in Luigi's eyes finally left. "You haven't lost me, Mario. I was never lost. Just a little...broken." Luigi felt his brother wrap his arms around his shoulders, resting his head against his.

"If you're broken, then I'll just have to glue the pieces together."

Something inside of Luigi clicked, and he pushed the unwanted flash of memories for what he felt like the final time. Warmth bloomed in place of his panic and self loathing. His big brother is here, as long as Mario is here... Luigi smiled up at him before climbing out of the go-kart.

The the two brothers left the garage and Peach ran up to embrace Luigi. "There's nothing to be scared about Bowser. I'm so sorry, I should've warn you two about him visiting."

Luigi wanted to correct her but she doesn't need to worry about him, he's going to be fine. "Don't worry Princess, one day I'll be just as brave as Mario!" Peach giggled at his comment before giving him a final hug before giving the same treatment to Mario.

"Bowser just left." She grabbed both of their hands to drag them back into the castle. "Let's go back inside, I have tea and cookies!"

Mario and Luigi shared a knowing smile, following their friend inside. Forgetting about the kart and the memory of falling from space.

End of Chapter

A/N: I always feel so bad about leaving Peach out of everything. She always have her moment but then I always push her out of the way when I just don't need her anymore. You'll see more of her in this story. I promise.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Why are you doing this to yourself?! You finally find some happiness and you try to back away from it? What is wrong with you?!"  
_

 _"Look at me! You tend to forget who I am, I almost destroyed everything- I am a monster!"_

 _"I don't see a monster_... _I just see a broken man..."_

 **Chapter 6: Old Faces**

The stunt of climbing into an old go kart and freaking out had mostly faded from memory. Luigi sat at the kitchen table, looking out to admire his garden. There was a plumbing emergency at the castle and Mario had left to take care of it. Luigi wanted to help but Mario insisted that he can handle it himself, and that he should stay at home to enjoy the peace and quiet.

Luigi stopped to watch the tea leaves settle on the bottom of his favorite mug, it was a mix that Peach gave him to relax. He had it for years and it always had worked for him on nights that he had to stay behind on an adventure.

Knowing that his brother would go out there, mindlessly running head first into danger without him often kept him up at night. After all of that nonsense had happened, the simple remedy of a calming tea and a moment of quiet still works. He's glad that he hasn't changed that much in the end.

There was a knock at the front door, Mario must've been back by now and he had forgotten the key... again. Luigi stood up with a short bark of a laugh, wondering where Mario had lost the key this time. Since the last one somehow made it across the town. He quickly opened the door without much of a thought. "I swear Mario, I'm not helping you look for it this ti..."

Instead of Mario, Luigi found himself staring face to face with the last person he ever wanted to see.

Nastasia stared down at her shoes wanting to avoid eye contact, obviously just as uncomfortable as he was. Luigi felt as if all the color had been drained from his body, his heart instantly began to pound heavily in his chest.

"Hey, um, sorry to bother you" she started, not wanting to look at him. Not wanting to be reminded of the life she had destroyed. "But I don't know who else to go to... I was hoping to talk to Mario..." she trailed off, staring down at her shoes.

'What? I'm not good enough anymore? You broke your toy and now you want another...' Luigi thoughts began to spin out of control as something inside of him wanted to reach out to her but at the same time slam the door in her face. But Luigi is stronger than that. "I'm...sorry. He- he's out at the moment" he hated how weak he sounded. "Is- is everything okay?"

Nastasia was quiet, but she finally looked up at him and it made his heart pound even harder, his stomach twisting. "No...um, at the castle there was some unusual activity that disrupted the dimensional field. As if there were an attempt to teleport to the ruins, but it didn't feel right..."

The castle. Right. For a second Luigi thought something happened to Peach, but his foggy memory of Castle Bleck finally crept back into focus. As far as he knows, hopping dimensions was very common. So what's the big deal?

Nastasia, sensing his confusion shook her head. "This time it was from a different field, something I can't identify. I was hoping I could reach Merlon but he is nowhere to be found..." She sounded tired, and stressed. Luigi looked down at her and he realized that his emotionless expression was probably the cause of her being so uncomfortable.

'You ruined my life...'

Luigi closed his eyes with a sigh, gaining control of his hateful and bitter thoughts about Nastasia. They stood there for Grambi knows how long, and he could feel the tension build. He wanted her gone, she knows he wanted her gone and yet she still has more to say.

"Listen, Luigi, I'm...sorry...for um...what I did..." She stopped to adjust her glasses. "I was just following orders and I didn't realize the kind of damage I was doing to you..." Nastasia stopped when she realized that Luigi was still giving her that expressionless stare.

Luigi continued the mental fight to push away the spiteful thoughts about the former minion. She was just doing her job, she was just following orders, she was devoted to the Count. Luigi could understand that. His memory of that time was long gone, but he knew that Mr. L was very devoted to the Count too. He sighed again, he wished Mario was here. Mario would've been strong enough to handle this.

Finally Luigi's mouth twitched into something similar to a smile."You seem stressed..."

Luigi is going to have to be stronger.

He pointed to the kitchen. "I have some wonderful tea on the stove, I made too much and I hate for it to go to waste. Mario should be here soon... so you can tell him yourself..."

Something practically glowed behind Nastasias glasses and it may have actually been hope. "I love tea..." With that Luigi gave her a genuine smile, gesturing her to follow him inside. Guess he is not the only one who is a little broken up about everything that happened.

And tea always works for him.

End of Chapter

A/N: What? You think that this entire story is going to be about Luigi suffering? Ha. Ha. No. There's more to come. So strap in. We're just about to reach the top of the roller coaster.


	7. Chapter 7

_"I can't do this... I can't do this.."  
_

 _"You can. You're_ _not_ _alone_. _You'll_ never _have_ _to do_ _this alone again."_

 **Chapter 7: Strangers**

Mario hadn't been getting much sleep lately. Luigi could hear him pacing the hallway at night and it broke his heart. He hadn't taken the news of the strange activity over at Castle Bleck very well and it's taken a toll on everyone.

The Princess didn't take it well either and he could almost see her wondering around her castle in the middle of the night too, he doesn't even want to think about what Bowser is doing right now. But the worst part is that Luigi has no clue how to comfort Mario. He could never understand the fear they went through, since Luigi was unfortunately left out of the loop when he was knocked unconscious by Bleck before their final battle.

He flinched when he heard the front door slam shut, Mario had left to wonder around the town again. Luigi sat up with a sigh, any attempts to comfort Mario only ended with failure, and it felt like Luigi was the one causing it. He shook his head with a sigh, Mario wouldn't blame him for anything. He's just upset about this, maybe it was a sign that this fight isn't over yet.

Maybe he's afraid that Mr. L might return with a vengeance.

The thought of him becoming Mr. L again scared him beyond all form of reason. Scared him enough to climb out of bed and throw some clothes on, scared him enough that before he could comprehend what was happening he had already packed a suitcase full of clothes. He stopped, taking several steps back away from the suitcase as if it burned him. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. He didn't remember packing a suitcase.

Luigi stood there for a few minutes, unsure what to do next. Slowly he began to realize that maybe leaving might be the best for the both of them. At least for a few days. Mario needs to not have a constant reminder of Mr. L and Luigi can get away from this town that had completely rejected him.

With a smile, he knew exactly where to go. Grabbing a notepad and pen from his desk, Luigi quickly thought up a little white lie.

'Mario'. He began to scribble onto the paper. 'E. Gadd needs some help down at the lab so I'll be out of town for a few days. It's nothing serious and definitely doesn't involve ghosts, thank goodness!' Luigi paused, laughing at the memory. After what had happened to him, ghosts doesn't seem that scary anymore. 'I'll stay in touch with you. But it might be a very busy few days. Sorry to leave you like this, but he just called and insisted that I be over there as soon as possible. You know how he is. Take care and I'll see you soon.'

Luigi signed his name at the bottom, then drew a smiley face just for good measure. He stopped to admire his work with an unknown smirk. But then stopped, feeling guilty for lying to Mario. He hated lying to his brother, always taking the more honest route even if it's something he didn't want to hear. But he knew that it was for the best. He promised himself that this is the only time he'll do that to his brother. Mario would never lie to him.

Leaving the note on the fridge, Luigi quickly emptied out the suitcase and packed a backpack. He didn't need to bring all of his personal belongings. He wasn't planning on leaving forever, so he didn't understand why he did that. He's not scared of Mario...

Giving the note a final glance, Luigi silently crept through the kitchen once more, deciding to leave through the back door. Some distance would do them both good, he continued to reason with himself. He stopped to admire his small garden in the backyard with a smile. Before opening the gate. Luigi gave a final glance at the house, leaving it behind with a small, sad smile. He tightened the jacket around himself with a shiver, he was never good with the cold like how he used to be.

Winter was creeping around the corner, right now it was just enough that it brought a very thin blanket of snow. So it shouldn't be much of a problem anyway, since the lab isn't that far and Mario needed the car more than him. Luigi just wished that he had left in the morning, as the sun would've chased away the frost. But it'll be out soon, and Luigi had made this hike many times before to see his friend.

A familiar little shack came into view, it was just outside of a massive iron fence and a empty plot of land. Luigi stopped to catch his breath, he didn't even realize that he was running until his legs began to hurt. He then noticed that his backpack was heavier than what he remembered packing.

"What the..." Luigi dropped onto his knee. Unzipping the bag in one fluid motion before looking through his backpack, he ended up pulling out a wrench, then a screwdriver, then a welder. With a shout Luigi threw the tools across the field with a shout. Any kind of grip that was on his mind weakened, as this was the only attempt it had and it failed. With an angry huff, Luigi left the tools in the melting snow. The sun is out now, and he could no longer see his breath.

Luigi only stopped again when he reached a familiar welcome mat, and he didn't have to knock when he was greeted by a group of transparent but friendly faces.

A shrill voice echoed from the other room "hang on!" Luigi flinches at the sound of several loud crashes and what he could only describe as the sound of metal scraping against metal. Soon a little old man in a lab coat came to greet him.

"Luigi, my boy! What are you doing here?" Luigi was dragged through the lab and into the modest living quarters. E. Gadd wasn't much of a decorator and anything that was even remotely decorative was donated by the younger brother.

Despite the tight living quarters Luigi always felt right at home among the inventions and piles of scrap metal. "Sorry Elvin, I don't mean to come out of nowhere but can I crash here for a few days? I promise that there's nothing going on, Mario just needs some space..." Luigi felt a lump form in his throat as the elderly man stood there for a moment before responding.

Of course he was aware of Luigi's little 'problem' though he was the only one that didn't treat Luigi like a fragile little patient or a lab rat. Funny how that ended up, it's the scientist that treats him like a normal person. Elvin smiled with a quick nod. "Yeah, no problem. I had a brother once too, we were always at each others throats over something foolish. Sometimes we just needed the space, it's not a big deal..." Elvin continued to talk about his youth but Luigi eventually tuned him out, letting out the breath he was holding. E. Gadd wasn't going to call Mario. He knew that he made the right decision with coming here.

The professor pulled out a trunk that was full of blankets and pillows, leaving Luigi to fix up the couch to sleep on. Soon the familiar clanks and scrapes of metal return in the other room. Leaving him alone for the rest of the early morning.

Luigi kicked off his shoes, curling up under the heavy blankets with a sigh, too tired to change out of his clothes. He'll have to make it up to the old professor later, but for now his eyes are too heavy to stay awake for much longer. He fell asleep to the sound of ghost chattering and the very comforting clanks of metal.

End of Chapter

A/N: Uh, Oh. Luigi. Your Mr. L is showing. XD Speaking of Mr. L, he is still coming. Just sit tight.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Don't people tell ghost stories around a campfire...?"  
_

 _"I thought it was just for warmth."_

 _"It's also for roasting marshmallows too..."_

 _"Now that is something I can get behind of."_

 _"Me too, I'm not a fan of scary stories anyway."_

 **Chapter Eight: Lights**

Luigi dreamt that he was on fire.

The hallway in front of him was long and narrow. Most details were hidden because the hall was cast in darkness. He could feel his skin burning off of his body and he can smell the disgusting stench of rot and burning tires. Despite the agony he felt he calmly walked down the hallway, stoping to study the torches that hung off the wall. The wall and floors were made of blackened stone. A detail that he had committed to memory somewhere. Though he doesn't know exactly why or how.

He stopped when he reached the end of the hallway; there stood a door with a bright white light seeping through the cracks, standing out against the blackness. It was an welcoming sight, that broke up the ever growing darkness that surrounded him. Instead of opening it at the first glance, Luigi rested an ear against the door to listen for what's on the other side.

He could hear someone crying.

Suddenly the door crumbled into dust from under him, causing him to fall through into the endless white light, as the room wasn't what he expected it to be. Rather it was a bottomless pit of light. Luigi himself soon turned into dust, fading into the nothingness. What was left of him was swallowed by the brilliant light.

The last thing he saw was a black mask floating above him.

...

Luigi sat up with a start, covered in sweat and with a horrible ringing in his ears. Before doing anything he stopped to see if his skin was still on his body. Of course it was.

Whatever lingering details he had of his nightmare completely faded from his mind and the ringing in his ears ended. Soon the familiar ticking of a clock and the sounds of the lab in the other room came into focus. Beams of the morning light slipped through the heavy curtains that decorated the living quarters that he's currently sharing with E. Gadd. He groaned, taking a moment to pop his back, wishing that he was back in his bed. What fog that had settled on to his mind earlier this morning was gone, leaving him only regret of ever leaving home. But he knew that Mario will be fine, and Luigi has to get used to waking up in a new place. Wasn't that to be his end goal? To finally move out and be independent? Whatever.

Luigi popped his back one more time, vowing that next time he decides to run away he'll pick a hotel. He then shivered, remembering that Gadd has no real source of heat in this area of his home, most of it was generated in the lab on the other side but it didn't reach where he is. Yeah, next time a hotel. This is just silly.

Luigi threw on a pair of pants and a clean white teeshirt. Combing through his hair and brushing his teeth in the little guest bathroom. E. Gadd would probably put him to work since Luigi decided to come out of nowhere at four in the morning. It's the most the younger Mario brother could do to thank the older man.

Luigi pushed open the heavy metal door leading to the lab, surprised that he wasn't greeted by any ghosts.

Instead they were all huddled around E. Gadd who was studying something on the computer screen. The older man turned to Luigi, greeting him with a concerned look.

"Luigi! Glad to see that you're up. Quick, you must take a gander at this, it's quite the phenomenon..." E. Gadd gestured to the screen. "Mario and some gal named Nastasia asked me to monitor the area over the Castle Bleck ruins..." Luigi felt his throat go dry at the mention of Nastasia, but it didn't go as far as that. For the first time in awhile, Luigi felt like he was in control of his own mind. Maybe a change of scenery was more helpful than he thought.

Luigi approached the monitor, quickly noticing the massive blob that was slowly taking up the screen. E. Gadd continues to explain his discovery despite how his friend was slowly becoming uncomfortable. "So I did just that and my scanners had found this strange mass of what I concluded to be a cloud of concentrated energy- like some kind of portal, though it's none I had ever seen..." E. Gadd jumped down from his chair, he begins to gather up some tools. "That's it, I made up my mind. We're going to Castle Bleck. Pictures on a monitor does not do this justice. I must see it for myself." Gadd handed Luigi a tool box without missing a beat. "Of course you must be curious too. After all this is the place where one of your grand battles has taken place..."

Luigi wanted to object, Castle Bleck was the last place he wanted to go. But he would never forgive himself if he let a little old man go there by himself with only a gaggle of ghosts to keep him company. What kind of friend would he be? A terrible one. Luigi nodded in defeat, knowing that he wouldn't even get a single word in anyway.

"Well then, off to Castle Bleck we go!" Gadd cheered, gathering the last of the supplies and rushing Luigi out the door, only giving the younger man a moment to grab an apple for breakfast. The ghosts huddled close to the doorframe, waving the duo goodbye before returning to do their chores. Luigi glanced back at the little lab one last time before leaving Boo Woods in silence.

...

Castle Bleck looked a lot different than from what he remembered. He heard that some of the formal minions were taking care of it, but Luigi couldn't really tell. The place was left to decay, it only reassured his decision to go along with this. That E. Gadd wasn't doing this alone.

The older man stopped to admire what used to be a very grand and ominous entrance. Stepping over several fallen pillars, Luigi watched as E. Gadd stops to remove a hand held scanner from his backpack. "Yes, we're getting close. It seems like it has gotten stronger since we arrived..."

The two continued through the maze, with Luigi helping the old scientist climb over any dangerous looking obstacle. Taking care to avoid the parts of the castle that has collapsed in on itself. Luigi frowned at the ruins. He remembered Mario mentioning that parts of the castle had collapsed, but he didn't know that it was this serious. All he remembered was fighting that strange jester, then waking up with the need to find and help his brother and then waking up a second time but after Mario and the others had saved the day. Strange. He was glad that the ruins are silent now, just like his mind since he woke up this morning. It's almost peaceful. At least, for the moment. Just because some things are getting better, doesn't mean that he's completely freed of this...whatever this is. At least, that's what he was taught. Ms. Portobello also told him that it was the after shook of long term brainwashing, apparently. Luigi's train of thoughts left him somewhere else, only coming to his senses when he bumped into E. Gadd when the older man suddenly stopped.

"Here!" E. Gadd shouted, dropping his backpack for the second time, he started to take out several other tools, none that Luigi recognized. He stepped away from the little old man, walking towards the large room where they decided to set up shop. He remembers this place.

It was the room he woke up in right after the final battle he unfortunately missed. Luigi froze up when he suddenly heard a crunch from beneath his foot, he lifted up his shoe to reveal what was left of what he thought was a monocle. He was tempted to pick it up but the professor caught his attention.

"Oh my, Luigi! Do you understand what is going on? We are standing on the edge of a fantastic scientific discovery! These readings, they are not just from a strange dimension. No no, what ever these readings are- they are none we've ever seen!" E. Gadd shouted, wildly gesturing to the small tracker in his hand.

Luigi turned to see the old man jump in excitement and he couldn't help but to smile at the sight. At least someone is having fun amongst the ruins. He returned his attention to the monocle, wondering if it belonged to Bleck.

"Luigi! Run!" Elvin shouted, Luigi practically jumped out of his skin. Lucky he was able to move out of the way right before a strange light began to form in the middle of the room. On the other side he could see his friend with a camera. "Fantastic..." Gadd said, but Luigi couldn't hear him over the overwhelming noise of static. The ringing in his ear returning.

As fast as the light came, it left. Leaving a figure curled up on the ground, smoke billowing off of his clothes. Luigi could only sit there and stare in shock. The man that's crumpled on the ground looked homeless. His clothes were nothing but rags, hanging off his malnourished frame. His hair and beard were a long, wild and untamed mess. Both Elvin and Luigi regained the ability to move from their spots, the both of them approaching the fallen man.

"Hello?" Luigi was the first to find his voice, kneeling down at the man. Growing concerned at the broken mess in front of him. He gently shook the mans shoulder. Gadd kneeled onto the other side, inspecting the man for any signs of life. "Oh my, Luigi- look at these scars!" Elvin lifted up the rags that covered the mans back revealing many deep and hideous scars. "It looks like some kind of animal just carved into him!"

But Luigi didn't hear him, he was staring at the mans face. A face that reflected his own.

A face wearing a black mask.

"No..." Luigi felt his throat close up, the color draining from his face. Despite need to run away from the man, he felt frozen. The man in front of them began to move, groaning as his body began pop and shake as he try to regain movement.

Sickly yellow and pale blue eyes stared up at Luigi, growing wide with recognition, his eyes began to water. "It's...you..." he whispered.

Before Luigi could fully comprehend what that meant, the man wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. "It's you...you're safe...you're alive..."

Luigi glanced at Elvin for any kind of explanation, but he was just as confused. The younger Mario brother wanted to push the man away, refusing to accept that this is the same man that have been the face of his nightmares for many years. But a wave of sudden guilt washed over him, causing Luigi to hug the man back.

"You're alive..." The man repeated, his tears were absorbed by his mask. The rest of his body shook with grief and adrenaline. "You're alive..."

...

Later that night, after Luigi just picked up the man like he was nothing. They found their way back to the workshop. The man wouldn't let go of the younger brother, as if he afraid that he would disappear.

That's how Luigi eventually found himself sitting at the incredibly small kitchen table. Watching in silence as the man that sat across him completely demolish the plate of food given to him.

Gadd walked in with an uneasy smile. "How is our newest house guest doing?"

Luigi turned to the scientist with a unreadable expression. "He's on his third plate of pasta..."

E. Gadd patted the homeless looking man on the back. "Slow down, my boy. You'll make yourself sick.."

"Mr. L." Luigi cuts the professor off, he didn't mean to startle his older friend. But all Luigi could see was that mask on the mans face. "Your name is Mr. L, right?" The silence hung uncomfortably around them. Gadd quickly backed out of the room. Realizing who they might have brought home.

"Yeah, that's my name..." Mr. L trailed off, finishing off the plate without another word and Luigi began to wonder when was the last time he ate. Luigi turned in his seat to see that Gadd left the room. Good. He wanted to be alone with Mr. L.

Luigi forced himself to swallow the lump that formed in his throat, now is not the time to be a coward. He felt a spark of rage and confusion go up his spine. Just as he was feeling like a decent human being, this has to happen. Luigi stood up, having the need to do so, feeling too anxious to just sit still. He stared down at this shell of a human being. "Okay...Mr. L..."

Mr. L stopped eating, for once having a full stomach, he then gave his full attention to Luigi. "I know...you have a lot of questions...I can tell you."

Luigi sat back into his chair, any kind of confidence he had moments ago were gone. "What can you tell me?" Luigi barely recognized his own voice, the man that sat in front of him, who looked so much like him, who sounded like him... Who gave the same weak smile. The kind of smile that Luigi would often fake for his own brother nowadays.

"Everything..."

End of Chapter

A/N: Yay! Mr. L is here. Now let's torture him for the rest of the story. Wee!


	9. Chapter 9

_"Sal, I don't understand. I wish you can just talk to me. I can't help if you continue to push me away..."  
_

 _"I don't know what you mean."_

 _"Just... please don't forget that you're not alone anymore_."

 **Chapter Nine: Tattered Old Rags**

Mr. L woke up suddenly when a jolt of pain went up his spine, he didn't know how long he was out. As The Overlord removed day and night all together, instead he decides when the light comes and goes. Right now it was dark outside, it has been dark outside for awhile now. But Mr. L worked the best hidden in the darkness, it wraps around him like a hug... Whatever those are.

He tried to move but doing so he found himself letting out a cry of agony. The Overlord was mad at him, progress wasn't being made and he wasn't the one to be patient. The scabs that tried to form on his back opened up again, letting blood soak into the rags that covered his back. He had real clothes once, years ago. The memory of what they were like had blurred into abstract thoughts. Along with the memory of real food, and a bed.

Mr. L stood to his full height, watching the cage door open, the hinges of the door screeching loudly. He tried not to wince, The Overlord hated when he flinched.

A familiar, almost shapeless figure steps in. A permanent smile plastered onto it's mask. "Time to let the little birdie out of his cage." He began, floating closer to Mr. L. "Don't want his wings to get rusty..." The Overlord gently stroked the side of Mr. L's face, down the side of his neck and to his chest, where Mr. L felt what he could only describe as a horribly painful bolt of lightning just under his skin. "Today will be the day, right?" Mr. L silently nodded, afraid of what mood the master of this world would be in today. Smoke curled around his broken body as The Overlord grabs him by the neck, throwing him out of the cage like a rag doll. Guess he's in a bad mood. It's time like these that Mr. L wished he was still a mindless vessel than having any kind of sentience, or the ability to feel.

His mind came back a long time ago and he has been suffering since then. It was all thanks to Luigi, who fought the floro sprout the moment this new world has been created, but they still remained divided for reasons unknown. Mr. L wanted to just hand this body back to the rightful owner, but they're just stuck like this. Leaving Mr. L alone in this strange new world of horror.

He had tried so hard to keep his only friend alive, but he couldn't. He's a failure, he's always been a failure. But sometimes, when things are quiet, he could almost hear Luigi crying softly in the back of his mind. Even though that part of his mind had been quiet for years now. Silent, like a tomb.

Mr. L dragged his legs to his work room. The Overlord found use of his mind, since he had built complex robots in the past he figured that Mr. L can build something even more grand.

Something that could understand the complexity of time itself.

 **...**

Mr. L stared down at his coffee mug, growing silent at the memory of the Overlord. Luigi sat across from him, awestruck. "You built a time machine?"

Mr. L shook his head. "Not exactly...time doesn't really work like that. I didn't go to the future or the past or..or anything. I just went to...a different branch of time."

Luigi continue to stare in confusion, silently urging Mr. L to continue, he did. "Uh, say you were walking down a hallway..." He began, taking an uncomfortable breath. "Then you came across two doors. You have two options to pick so you chose the right. So then what happens to the left door?" He paused, his face twisting in concentration, trying to explain what could only be best described in the language of math. "What happens then is that another branch of time is created, where you chose that left door and the series of events of you choosing that door happens instead." Mr. L stopped, giving Luigi a moment to wrap his head around the idea that time isn't as linear as he thought. "I know, it's complicated. But I came from a place where...we won."

"We?" Luigi wasn't even embarrassed that he sounded so unsure of himself. Mr. L avoided eye contact, ashamed of what happened. "You know...we- uh. Dimentio, he calls himself by a different name now. But he made me build the machine because time wasn't something he can't control, since time was meant to be something completely untouchable..."

"Until now." Luigi finished Mr. L's thought for him, he felt ice form at the pit of his stomach.

"He wanted everything." Mr. L whimpered. "He thought he could. But don't worry, I stopped him from following me...while he was sleeping. I programmed the machine to only work once..."

 **...**

Mr. L stared at the machine he just built with a frown, the swirling mass of light and energy flickered in and out of this planes existence. The Overlord floated up behind him, hands gently massaging Mr. L's shoulders. "At last, all of time and space is at my grasp..." He said and circled around Mr. L with a smile. "I knew I kept you alive for a reason..." Suddenly Mr. L was lifted in the air. "Time to.. test it out."

The Overlord didn't see the small smile Mr. L gave to the machine. He knew that The Overlord would test it out on him, his plan worked. Even if this machine doesn't work, at least he may finally be put out of his misery. Leaving the Overlord with a broken hunk of junk.

"Now my little canary. Time to fly into the coal mine..."

The last thing Mr. L saw was the smiling face of The Overlord and a flash of white light.

 **...**

The sound of the clock was the only thing that was heard in the small kitchen. Elvin entered the room with a nervous gaze on Mr. L. Luigi tried to put the pieces together in his mind. How did Mr. L even got stuck with Dimentio in the first place? Things weren't adding up in his mind. Mario said that before they confronted Count Bleck he was knocked unconscious. Did Dimentio kidnap him in the branch of time where they won? But why would he do that? Luigi wasn't anyone important, especially to Dimentio. Luigi shook his head, trying to figure this out was starting to make him dizzy.

He reached over and gently grabbed Mr. L's wrist. "Well, I know one thing. You're here now and Dimentio is gone. So I guess you got the last laugh..." Luigi smiled.

Mr. L couldn't help but to feel lighter, he thinks it's something called relief. "Yeah...you're right. He's gone...I'm...I'm free..."

Luigi stood up, pointing Mr. L to a hallway leading out of the kitchen. "There's a small bathroom to the right, there's some towels in there along with soap and stuff like that. You're welcome to clean yourself up."

Mr. L stood up, thanking Luigi for the hospitality and leaving without another word. The idea of being clean is more important than another serving of pasta.

He watched Mr. L disappear around the corner before going to his backpack in the living room. Digging through the bag to find something that their new guest can borrow. Instead he pulled out a familiar looking black jumpsuit. He defiantly didn't remember packing that. But what happened the other night was too much of a blur now. Since that strange sensation in the back of his mind had finally left him. Maybe that feeling was from this new Mr. L? Maybe they were somehow connected. It would certainly explain the heightened fight or flight reaction and the sudden need to not trust the people around him.

The sudden idea of the thing he has been fighting for Grambi knows how long taking a physical form did not scare him as much as it used to. Maybe he was still numb. Or maybe he had finally conquered some fear that he been carrying with him.

The sound of running water brought him out of his thoughts. Either way he has a job to do now. There's a man whose body and mind had been broken for far too long; and it's his job to fix it. Just like what Mario did for him.

It's time for him to be the big brother now.

End of Chapter.

A/N: Surprise! Wasn't expecting that, eh? This story is a reboot of both of the original stories. So of course I have to find a creative way to separate Mr. L and Luigi, it's like, tradition at this point. XD It's a better explanation that the original story, plus it's more fun! Time travel, woo!


	10. Chapter 10

" _You're telling me that people enjoy climbing into those car things- just so they can be strapped down and pushed into a massive loop at break neck speeds?!"  
_

 _"I know. Silly isn't it? I can't stand roller coasters."_

" _Wanna bet that I can build it better...?"_

 _"Mama-Mia..."_

 **Chapter 10: Smile**

It took Mr. L a moment to remember how to turn on something as simple as a shower. But when he did, he didn't even feel stupid about how excited he was to see actual warm and clean water. He paused, removing what was left of a glove before reaching out to touch the steady stream of water. Amazed to see how it removed the dried blood and mud that was caked under his nails. He then ran his arm through, before pulling it back to reveal his own skin that was hidden beneath the dirt. He felt the urge to cry, but held it back. Instead he removed the rest of his clothes, eager to actually be clean.

Mr. L hadn't felt fresh and clean water in what felt like decades. It washed the dirt and dried blood away. It cleaned out his wounds, it washed away any anxiety that Dimentio had followed him to this strange new world. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a large white towel around his waist.

Here in the fluorescent light he could clearly see part of his rib cage, and he could just see how long his hair and beard had gotten. That had to go, he mused to himself as he reached for the scissors and razor. The metal was cool to the touch, smooth and rust free. He didn't hesitate once as he began to cut his hair off, trimming it until it just rested on the back of his neck. Before trimming and styling it to look more presentable. He then began to work on that beard. Shaping and trimming it short but not shaving the entire thing off. He liked his beard. When it gotten cold, his beard helped keep him warm.

Now he could see that there is some trace of a handsome face that once belonged to his counterpart, that is now his own. But he could also see is how tired and worn down he looked. He then eyed his mask that was resting on top of the rest of his clothes and wondered if he should even wear it. Is not like he and Luigi are even identical now, Dimentio took care of that with years of torment. He bared his teeth to look at them in the mirror and flinched, he was lucky that he had strong teeth. That and it was the only thing that he could somewhat take care of while trapped in that nightmare of a world. But some of them were badly chipped, and they were horribly stained. But at less there were no cavities, or rot. He was lucky. Very lucky.

A knock at the door caused him to jump, holding onto his towel. "Mr. L?" Luigi called on the other side of the door. It was just Luigi, he let out a breath. It's going to be okay. "I have some clothes for you here, I figured that you wouldn't want to be walking around in rags..." Mr. L opened the door to reveal Luigi with nicely folded clothes and shoes. "I know it isn't much, but it's m... our old clothes."

Mr. L took the black jumpsuit, picking up a green bandana from the top. "Cool. Thank you..." It has been so long since Mr. L had seen these, memories of a time when he served Bleck came back in a rush of nostalgia. Wonder what happened to him and the others in this time? Guess they have a lot of catching up to do.

Luigi pointed down the hallway. "Elvin and I will be in the backyard, come join us, you can imagine that he has a lot of questions for you." Mr. L looks down at the clothes before smiling at Luigi, but before he could close the door, his formal counterpart stopped him. "By the way, love the beard..." Luigi then turns the corner and he could hear the rusty hinges of a back door swing open. Guess he has to fix that when he gets the chance. Mr. L thought to himself with a smile, which is something he's not used to having, but now he can't seem to live without.

...

Luigi was in the middle of convincing the older man that he should really do something with his backyard when Mr. L stepped though. Looking around in awe. As if he was experiencing the outdoors for the first time. Earlier everything was going by so fast, checking Mr. L to see if he had any signs of infection and getting him out of the ruins and out of the elements. But now he's here, dressed as he did so long ago. Though Luigi could tell from how the clothes just hang off his body that Mr. L may be in a worse state than at first glance.

"Mr. L, is it?" Gadd patted the chair next to him. "I have so much to ask you! What an exciting scientific break through to witness, to jump not just through dimensions but to best Father Time at his own game, that's something even myself can't wrap my head around."

Mr. L sat down next to the old man, and Luigi could only watch them exchange nothing but scientific and mechanical babble that he could barely understand. Luigi was pretty tech savvy himself, but he never dedicated as much time to it as Mr. L did. Part of him kind of wished that some of that other identity had stuck with him. Just so he can help Mario figure out that Grambi forsaken DVD player in their living room.

Luigi then froze at the thought of his older brother. How the heck is he going to tell him about this?! A familiar feeling of panic began to crawl up his spine, Mario is going to loose his mind when he finds out. Luigi sat back in his respected chair, pretending to be interested in the homemade wind chimes that hung off the end of the makeshift patio roof. Is Mario going to lock Mr. L up? Interrogate him? Fight him...

There is one thing that Luigi does understand about this situation. He's the one who has to make the call. Not Gadd, and especially not Mr. L. Luigi stood up, staring at his counterpart with a frown. "I'm sorry, Mr. L. But you do know that I have to tell Mario..."

Mr. L's smile quickly turned into a frown, and Luigi could recognize the familiar fear that crossed his features. "But don't worry." He quickly added. "Mario won't try anything as along as I am here, and he'll understand."

"Yeah.." Mr. L sighed. "Well, he has to, but what about the...others?"

Luigi looked away, he almost forgot about them. Peach would try to understand, try to be compassionate and reasonable, but Bowser? He has no clue. "We'll pass that hurdle when we come to it. But for now, I'm going to call Mario, first thing in the morning."

Luigi smiled and Mr. L relaxed. The Mario brother could tell that the only thing keeping Mr. L standing was pure adrenaline and shock. Luigi gestured to the living room. It was starting to get late anyway. "Come on, you can crash on the couch. I'll take the chair."

Luigi lead Mr. L inside without another word, giving Gadd a smile to signal that things are going to be okay. Even though that smile never truly reached his eyes.

End of Chapter

A/N: I never got how the characters always have perfect teeth and are perfectly groomed in survivor and end of the world type movies. Somethings are a little more important than grooming and looking good, people. Like avoiding aliens or the genetically modified apes that took over the world. No one cares if your pit hair grows out. Just live, damn it. Lol

But don't worry, I'm sure Mr. L will see a dentist.


	11. Chapter 11

_"Do you wish that you could just lay here forever... and pretend that all of your problems don't exist..."  
_

 _"Only on a nice day like this. Can't imagine laying in the middle of a storm would do much of anything..."_

 **Chapter 11: Mario**

Luigi woke up with a jump, reluctantly he looked out of the window and lets out a groan at the sight that greeted him. It was the middle of the night and he just knew that he won't go back asleep. Great. But what woke him up? He ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh, it was going to be a crummy day to begin with, this was just the cherry on top. He looked over to see Mr. L tossing and turning on the couch, the formal minion lets out a short and painful whimper. So that's what woke him up. Luigi sat up in the chair and quickly began to wake Mr. L up. "Hey.." He got up to gently nudge his shoulder. "Hey, Mr. L? You're dreaming."

The man in question suddenly woke up with a gasp and a shout, grabbing Luigi's arm as if he was prepared to defend himself. It caught Luigi off guard, but he grabbed his shoulders again to prevent Mr. L from lunging. "Hey, it's me! It's just me! Sorry for startling you..."

Mr. L stared at him for a minute, as if he was trying to figure out that Luigi was even talking to him. Mr. L then reached out to hug him. "You're still here...you're still here..."

Luigi blinked. "Yeah, of course. I'm not going anywhere. I promise..."

...

Luigi sat in the kitchen, watching the homemade clock that E. Gadd had made from scrap metal. The sun had just risen as if it wanted to give Luigi some company. He got Mr. L to go back to sleep hours ago and E. Gadd wasn't even awake yet.

Luigi stared down at the phone in his hand. Mario wakes up at the same time everyday and immediately starts his morning routine. Luigi plans to time his unfortunate news in hopes that he could catch Mario when he's in a good mood. He continued to stare at the phone. Having nothing else to do but to sit and wait for chaos to inevitability erupt.

He was startled when Mr. L sat down in the chair across the table. He caught his breath and they both shared a quick laugh despite the tension in the air. Before they sat there in silence, now both of them staring at the phone.

"Morning boys." E. Gadd walked in, fully dressed and ready for the day. He quickly filled a teapot with water and places it on the stove. "Don't stress too much about calling Mario. We all know he's a reasonable fellow..." The old scientist began, taking out his favorite mug.

Sure, Mario can be reasonable. But this is different. When it comes to the health of his only family Mario is surprisingly stubborn and incredibly strict. He didn't listen to compromise and when it comes to doctors orders, Mario had made sure Luigi had closely followed it down to the letter. Luigi knew that Mario will loose his mind over Mr. L returning. Every possible scenario he imagined always ended up in chaos. But the best one was where Luigi called Mario and explained the situation.

So he waits. Ignoring the beads of sweat that formed on the back of his neck. He is cold and hot at the same time and it feels like he had swallowed an entire frozen lake. Mr. L sat silently across from him, and Luigi wondered if he was just as nervous as he is. Then again he may just be relying on his understanding about Mr. L from the remaining emotions and the last traces of long dead instincts that once belonged to the Mr. L of this world. That was it, wasn't it? What Luigi had been going through. He silently mused to himself while studying the man that sat in front of him. The therapy, the pills, the nightmares. That was just the last of Mr. L leaving his body. A week ago Luigi would be overjoyed to learn that. But now? He wasn't so sure and that scared him a little, so he pushed the thoughts away. He has to take care of the Mr. L in front of him, he was grateful for the distraction from his own problems.

"I'm sorry about this..." Mr. L murmured, if Luigi's hearing hadn't been trained to pick up the most subtle things, he would've missed the apology.

Luigi frowned at him. "About what? You coming here? There's nothing to be sorry about, you were in a place worst than anything I can imagine and you found a way to leave."

Mr. L shook his head. "Not about that. I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to wake you up..."

The two fell into an all familiar silence and it began to eat away at Luigi's patience. Silence means that something is brewing in the distance, it's something that happens before the storm or before the battle. Luigi is starting to get real tired of silence.

Luigi leaned forward, grabbing Mr. L's hand like how Mario always does to comfort him. A gesture that is small, but it meant a lot to the younger brother. "It's going to take some time to adjust to this, but I know that you'll do just fine. You're not alone anymore. I won't let anything happen to you...I promise."

"That's what the other you said..." Mr. L whispered, and this time Luigi didn't catch what he had said. But before he could ask, someone began to violently pound on the front door.

E. Gadd, doing his best to blend into the background jumped at the sound. "Ugh, one of these days I'm going to have a massive heart attack because of all these guests parading through my home!" Elvin mumbled to himself, quickly nodding to a stray helper ghost to answer the door.

Before the door opened fully, the new guest suddenly bursts in. "Gadd!" Mario raced to greet the elderly man, Luigi visibly paled and Mr. L sank deeper into the kitchen chair. But Mario didn't notice. "Mimi saw you enter the Bleck ruins and there was a bright light. I just got the news now, next time please don't go alone..." Mario trailed up when he finally made eye contact with Luigi. The younger brother gave him a shy and nervous smile. A smile that says 'I'm okay but not really but I don't want you to worry about me' a look that Mario had grown very accustomed to. He narrowed his eyes. "Luigi, what's going on here?! Is this what you meant by helping Elvin because that was a stupid move- letting him wonder into dangerous ruins. Anything could've happened to him and he wouldn't be able to protect himself."

"I'm right here you know..." Elvin mumbled to himself, not needing a reminder that he's a feeble old man. But Mario didn't hear him, instead choosing to focus on the stranger in the room. Elvin left the small living quarters to his lab. Hoping to avoid the massive fight that was bound to happen.

Mario pointed to Mr. L with a mix of confusion and frustration. "Who...are...you...?"

Mr. L scoffed at him. "I may not be recognizable without a giant metal robot behind me, but I think you of all people would recognize me."

With a shout of anger Mario began to cross the remainder of the kitchen, grabbing Mr. L by the collar and lifting him up. Whatever false confidence that Mr. L had a moment ago quickly left him as his eyes glazed over as a surge of uncomfortable memories began to surface.

...

'Dimentio stopped to survey the blank state of his new world. While Mr. L stood as a mindless slave behind him, unable to move on his own, unable to think but he still had the capacity to remember. And he did. He remembered watching the world around him disappear. If he had the ability to feel he would mourn the loss of his home. Instead Dimentio lifted him up by his collar, enjoying the new found strength and power the comes with his new body. Dimentio thew him onto the ground with as much force as possible.

"For now on, you will call me... your Overlord, anything less and you'll wish that you were never born."

"Yes, my Overlord..." Mr. L droned back.'

...

Mr. L snapped back into reality to the sensation of Luigi pulling him off of Mario, the first thing he notices was the look of confusion, anger and fear that was reflected in the great heroes eyes. His attention snapped back to Luigi who was also startled at the emotionless void behind Mr.L's eyes, but couldn't exactly focus on anything. The world around him kept spinning and shifting between his endless nightmares and reality.

Luigi narrowed his eyes, determined to bring him back, he brought him close, holding him as tight as he could. Mario sat up, shaken by the sudden change in Mr. L.

"Luigi...his eyes..." Mario began. "They were..." He stood up with a huff. "This is ridiculous, he's too dangerous."

"Ugh..." Mr. L's world finally stopped spinning, looking up at Luigi. "What happened...?" Mr. L tried to sit up on his own but a searing pain flared through his back.

Luigi stopped him from going further, but he doesn't know if it's from fear that Mr. L would hurt himself, or his brother. Luigi helped him stand up fully, sitting back down in a kitchen chair.

Mario gestured Luigi to follow him into the living room, the younger brother haven't seen that enraged expression on Mario's face in almost decades. It was that expression alone that made Luigi freeze in his spot. He's in real trouble now. Reluctantly he follows Mario.

"What in the name of Grambi was that?!" Luigi shriveled back from Marios accusing glare. The living room that they were standing in felt too small, it has been a long time since Mario had truly gotten angry at him. But it felt like it wasn't just Mr. L he was angry about. Mario crossed his arms, staring at an old photograph of the bothers and E. Gadd standing in front of a massive iron gate door. "Let me guess, if you were going to tell me, you would've let me down gently? Right? That I wouldn't get angry that- that this thing that has been tormenting you for so long is now sitting in Elvin's kitchen like none of this is a big deal..."

Mario continued to glare at the photograph, refusing to look at Luigi. His stare slowly softened, reluctantly he turned to look at Luigi. "We used to tell each other everything..." His arms fell loosely at his side, any kind of rage he had left him. Luigi stood there, his throat closed up, the only thing he could really concentrate on is the loud ticking of a clock. He never really knew how to talk to his brother, but he has to try.

He has to try.

"I'm sorry..." Luigi sighed. "I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how...but this is different. That man who is sitting in the kitchen needs our help..." Luigi stepped closer to his brother. "You didn't see the state of neglect that he arrived in. Nearly his entire body is completely scarred and torn up. Mario, you could even see his rib cage!"

Mario turned his attention to the kitchen where he could see Mr. L trying to figure out what had happen when he blacked out. "I don't like this...I don't like this at all...but I trust you, Luigi." Mario narrowed his eyes at him, and Luigi suddenly took a step back, as he was not used to that look. "Please don't disappoint me. I'll be keeping my eye on the both of you..." Mario placed a hand on the younger brother shoulder with a sigh. "I trust that you have good judgement, but I don't trust him; so I'm placing the full responsibility on your shoulders. If he messes up, it's on you."

Mario gave him one final hard glare before turning to enter the kitchen. Mr. L sat there in silence, trying hard not to look like he wasn't listening in on their hushed conversation. He looked up to see Mario staring down at him in determination and suppressed anger.

"One chance." Mario pointed at him. "Both of your necks are on the line now. If you mess up, he messes up too. Do you understand?" Mr. L stared up him with wide eyes and he nodded. Even though this was the hero he was taught to hate for so long, Mr. L knew that it wasn't wise to get on his bad side. Though it hurt him to know that Mario may never fully trust him, he understood why. But it still hurt none the less.

Before Mario could leave, he stopped in front of Luigi. "And I expect you home soon. No more excuses..." With that said, Mario left.

Luigi remained frozen in his spot. What Mario says, goes. No matter how old Luigi gets, Mario would always have some tough love, older brother authority over him. Mario would make a good king someday, he mused to himself after hearing the front door slam shut.

"Well..." He began, looking at Mr. L with a bewildered expression. "That went...good." Luigi huffed, crossing his arms. "Honestly, it couldn't have gone any better." Luigi returned into the kitchen, returning to the all familiar silence. The clock chimed from the other room, it almost echoed.

"Yeah..." Mr. L stared at the phone. "At least it's over now...for the most part..."

The two continued to sit at the kitchen table in silence. The only sound being that Grambi forsaken clock.

End of Chapter

A/N: Sorry! For some reason new reviews aren't really showing up. But I have seen them and they mean so much to me! Thank you for taking the time to review this story. I love getting feedback. :)

I'm also waiting for an invite to join Archive of Our Own, so hopefully by the end of this month I will be posting stories there. Don't worry, I'll still be here. I'm not leaving anytime soon. It's just this site is starting to get on my last nerve.


	12. Chapter 12

" _I think he's starting to actually like me."  
_

 _"Well, you fixed his car for him. So I think he has to like you at some point."_

 _"I know. Maybe he'll start calling me 'bro' someday."_

 _"Yeah, maybe someday."_

 **Chapter 12: Meeting The Others**

Luigi was worried about taking Mr. L into town to shop for clothes. But they're not exactly the same size anymore, so Mr. L couldn't really raid his closet for anything to wear. Though he was happy to take most of the black clothing that Luigi has. Which is fine with him, since he doesn't really wear the color anyway. So he was glad that they're gone. Even though it was difficult to witness how the clothes just hangs loose on his formal counterparts body.

Also, Mr. L needed to see a doctor, if not for the wounds that cover his body, then for the extreme malnutrition that he's suffering from. The way the doctor had reacted to seeing Mr. L for the first time had told him more than enough about the situation they're dealing with. The rest of the people in the doctors office were nice enough, though Luigi figured that they were just being professional. Though the dentist was a breeze, Luigi was glad to see that some things could be an easy fix.

As predicted by both himself and a still very skeptical Mario, Mr. L was not received very well by the small village they live in. But Luigi is used to being alienated, and Mr. L's old job description is practically designed to be despised by outsiders. So the feeling of being a traveling circus had to be offset by Mario accompanying them when they had to go clothes shopping.

So that's where Luigi found himself today, with Mr. L and Mario debating if the newest member of their family should really be wearing all black all the time.

"But black is my thing." Mr. L held the shirt up. "I always wore black, it goes with anything and it hides the dirt and oil that I'm always seemed to be covered in." Mr. L lets Luigi pick out another shirt, holding it up to the newest brothers chest.

"Fine, but have some grays in there, and at least and I know you're okay with green." Mario sighed, before holding up a different shirt. "And at least have a few polo shirts, or even some button ups. Teeshirts are fine, but you need to have something nice too."

Mr. L took the shirt with a grumble. "Fine, but I'm not wearing kakis..."

"I'm not evil." Mario chuckled, gently pushing Mr. L into the changing room. Luigi joined Mario by his side, knocking on the door.

"Make sure to check your bandages before trying anything on..." Luigi added, he smiled to himself when he heard Mr. L audibly huff on the other side. He knows.

Suddenly Mario's phone began to ring, and he quickly reached into his pocket to answer it. He stopped to stare at the screen with a raised eyebrow.

"Who is it?" Luigi asked, not wanting to stare and bluntly invade his brothers privacy. Mario quickly shushed him, then walking away to answer it. Luigi couldn't hear the conversation from here, not like he really needed to. So his attention went back to Mr. L, who cracked open the door to the dressing room.

"Hey...uh..." He awkwardly chuckled. "I'm not that small..." He handed Luigi the shirt. The other shook his head with a sigh.

"You're practically a skeleton" Luigi frowned. "Then again, we should be getting you some larger clothes anyway. You're going to gain some of that weight back."

Mr. L swung the door open all the way, revealing that he was wearing several layers of bandages beneath his clothes. Though the evidence of the horrors that he had faced was made very clear on his neck and arms. Much to the dismay to any random customers passing by and more notably, Mario. "I hope it's muscle weight, because I'm not turning into a meatball." Mr. L snapped, still vain even after everything. It's refreshing to see.

Luigi sighed, numb to Mr. L at this point. Grabbing a larger shirt and pushing him back into the dressing room. "I know. Little steps, okay? Let's get you healthy first."

Mr. L smiled, taking the shirt. "I know. Thank you." He closed the door. Leaving Luigi alone until Mario joined him. Visibly shaken. Luigi rested a hand on Marios shoulder, shaking it slightly.

"What did... what happened to him?" Mario's voice was low so Mr. L couldn't hear him, Luigi shook his head, mouthing a 'later'. Mario knew that Mr. L was in a bad situation before, he just didn't fully grasp it until now. Mr. L only trusted Luigi to take care of the bandages, and he often panicked when Mario got a little too close for his comfort.

Luigi tossed a pair of black pants onto the top of the dressing room door, ignoring the audible grunt from the other side. No one likes trying on clothes. He turned back to Mario. "Who called you?"

Mario took a moment to put away his phone. "It was the Princess, I told her what's going on the other night and... she wants to meet him."

A pause.

"Wait, what?!"

There was a stumble and a crash behind the dressing room door, and Luigi felt panic bloom in his chest before Mr. L opened the door, dressed in the ill fitting clothes that he came in with. "Isn't that the lady who smacked me with the umbrella?!"

Luigi chuckled, panic leaving him. "Yes, but she's a lovely lady." He took the clothes that Mr. L handed to him, obviously the ones that'll work for him, as the others were crudely left behind in what Luigi could only describe as the aftermath of a snarky tornado. The two walked up to the front while Mario was left to pick up the mess and put it back on the hangers. It's a start of a wardrobe, but Mr. L has a lot of healing to do first before they could really add much to it. Luigi glanced back over his shoulder to see Mario finishing up the dressing room, feeling slightly guilty.

After they paid for their clothes, and left. They stopped by at the house for Mr. L to change into something at actually fits him. Mario and Luigi sat patiently in the living room. Mario was about to check the time when Mr. L strolled out, in all black, of course.

He was wearing a long sleeve button up shirt, dark jeans paired with his original belt, shoes and gloves. As a final touch his green neckerchief was folded into a triangle and stuffed into a front pocket of his shirt. His hat was still here but his mask was missing. The scars on his neck were barely visible thanks to the collar of the shirt.

"Where's your mask?" Luigi asked, clearly not used to staring at the hallow version of his face. Though Mr. L was looking a lot better already, thanks to their efforts.

"The mask was there to hide the fact that I was you. But I'm not you anymore, I'm me." He simply stated with a shrug. "It's not like people would mistake me for you anyway." That makes sense, Luigi just nodded in agreement. The two brothers stood up, guiding Mr. L to the door. "Right then." Mr. L continued. "To the lovely lady who hits me with the umbrella!"

...

Luigi remembered the first time he saw Peachs castle, he must've made that same stupid face that Mr. L was making now. It's strange, he's technically seeing a version of himself react to something. Part of Luigi wished that he would have somehow convinced Mr. L to keep the mask.

At the entrance stood Peach, with two armed guards beside her. A formality, Luigi reminded himself. Mr. L is harmless. Without much of a hello, Peach marched past the brothers to stand in front of Mr. L. Her arms were crossed, staring down at the formal villain. Mr. L darted his attention from Peach to Luigi, giving him a look that says 'if this is a lovely lady, then I'm the Grand Poobah of eating hats.' Luigi sighed, silently urging him to be nice.

Peach uncrossed her arms, quickly grabbing his wrist and pulling up his shirt to reveal many scars and yellowing bruises. Her eyes softened, frown deepening. "I can't even begin to imagine what you had went through..." She began, before pulling him into a tight but careful hug. "Know that you're welcome here, Mr. L..."

With an arm around his shoulders, Peach lead him through the entrance, followed by the brothers and then the guards. "I have a surprise for you." Peach began, giving him a smile. "I'm sure it'll make you feel right at home."

Peach nodded to a guard who walks over to knock on a door. He stood by the entrance. Mr. L froze, tempted to head for the hills, her arms tightened around him. Not in a way that would hold him down, the feeling was more reassuring if anything. He visibly relaxed, much to her delight.

The door cracked a little before being swung open and a familiar blur of green ran out, colliding with Mr. L's abdomen and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"It's you!" Mimi practically screamed, her pigtails bouncing with her. "It's you, It's you, It's you!" Mimi squeezed tighter, and Mr. L let out a sudden pained hiss. She loosened her grip with a quick apology, but quickly went back to hugging him, except more gentler. "When Peach said that someone special is coming to see us, I didn't think it was you!"

Suddenly a pair of larger arms lifted the both of them up, Mr. L felt the initial spark of panic settle in the pit of his stomach. Instead he took a deep breath, realizing who it is. O'Chunks swung them around with a large, hearty laugh.

"Ah- you became but a wee little man." The larger formal minion finally put Mr. L and Mimi down. "I guess you need to go back to the O'Chunks chunkin' program- that'll put some meat on them bones, maybe then you won't be- what is it again- a junior minion?" O'Chunks ruffled up Mr. L's hair while Mimi finally lets go, taking a step back to look at him.

Mimi couldn't help but to gasp. "Oh wow, O'Chunks is right (for once) you're almost just skin and bones!" Mimi playfully patted Mr. L on the stomach, though not as hard as she would usually do, as if she was afraid that he would actually crumble. "But I know that those Mario Bros would fatten you up in no time..." She trailed off, and Mr. L could tell that there's hidden sadness behind that smile.

The extra attention he has been getting almost made Mr. L uncomfortable, almost ashamed of the scars that riddled his body. Which was a strange feeling to have, then again he never really thought about what it'll be like if his appearance ever came up in conversation... Then again he never thought he would be here.

Before his mind could conjure up the image of that demonic face that had tormented him for years, a third figure walked into the room. Instead of reliving the fear, Mr. L felt the familiar pang of homesickness. At least, for his original home. Behind him Luigi took a step back and took Mario's hand, with Mario giving him a brief reassuring look.

"Um, I think Mr. L has heard enough about the whole skin and bones thing, k?" Nastasia stepped forward, slowly approaching him. Looking up at him with a frown, without being asked Mr. L took a knee to be face to face with the formal sectary. He never fully understood why she required him to do so. He stole a glance back at Luigi, who was looking uncomfortable. Now he understood.

Mr. L turned his attention back to Nastasia when she gently placed a hand on his cheek. Behind her glasses he could see her eyes getting a little watery. "It's good to see you... then again I guess it's because you're still technically my creation." Her hand quickly flinched away from his check, as if he burned her. "Sorry, I don't think that is something you might not want to be hearing..."

Mimi and O'Chunks left to catch up with Luigi and Mario while Peach tended to some toads who required her assistance. Nastasia lead Mr. L out to a bench, away from the others so they could catch up in private. There's lots to discuss, lots to catch up. Lots to apologize about.

At the bench, Nastasia gently grabbed Mr. L's wrist and rolls up his sleeve, farther than what Peach did. Revealing more sinister looking scars. She gasped. "Where were you... Who did this to you.." Nastasia cuts herself off shaking her head and returning the sleeve to it's rightful place, she then reached up to pull his shirt collar to the side, reveal another scar that ran from the side of his neck until it disappeared under his shirt.

Mr. L took a moment to adjust his collar back to where it belongs, next time it'll be a turtle neck. Or maybe he'll wear the bandanna again. "I came from a world... where Dimentio won." He began, looking directly into her eyes for her reaction. "For some reason he decided to keep me around..." Mr. L absentmindedly ran a finger up against a scar that ran up his arm. "I don't know why..."

Nastasia took a moment to sigh, looking away. "I don't know either." It was getting late now and the sun began to set, casting some pretty harsh shadows where they were sitting. It made it harder for Mr. L to read her face, but he still could. He was better at it than Luigi. At least to the point where he knows he's behind lied to.

"I think you do." Mr. L didn't mean to sound so harsh. But for years he has been wondering why he was trapped in that nightmare, and the only person who might be able to answer him decided to be quiet about it. What's the big deal? He's just one man, nothing too special about him. Right?

Nastasia shook her head and that ended their conversation. He was obviously disappointed. But if it's something that Nastasia wouldn't tell him, then maybe it just might be something he doesn't really want to know. Mr. L knew that he has been though more than enough, but that ache in the back of his mind is persistent. So either way he won't be getting much sleep tonight.

Meanwhile, Mario had successfully snuck away from Luigi and the others. Mr. L and Nastasia hadn't returned to the main hall, leaving Mario the chance to meet up with the Princess. Who had been giving him well known looks from across the room, begging him to come over so they could have their own private conversation. Not the kind Mario would've like, unfortunately.

Peach was standing at her balcony, looking over the massive bridge under them. Mario soon joined her, staring across the endless fields and the edge of the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom, where the brothers reside.

Peach gently grabs Marios hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We're going to have to tell him..." She trailed off, not needing to explain herself. Mario continued to stare out into the horizon, for a moment Peach began to wonder if he even heard her.

"I know... Mr. L doesn't want to talk about what happened, but he'll eventually open up..." He shook his head, looking at her with wide eyes. "Even if I tell him before that happens... Luigi is still going to be so mad. I don't know what to do."

Peach brushed a unruly strand of hair behind Marios ear. It was starting to get dark out so she couldn't really see him go slightly red in the cheeks. She doesn't think much of it, she just wanted to see his face. "You only wanted what's best for him, we knew he was going to have a lot of problems with the whole Mr. L thing in the first place." Peach said, glancing back through a window to see the others inside, she was happy to see her friends having a wonderful time, before continuing. "You didn't want to add on to that, you saw an opportunity to prevent more mental scarring and you took it."

"He was so broken..." Mario added, sounding pretty broken himself. "When he found out about what had happen to him, it really messed him up. The worst part was that for awhile, he tried to hide it from me." Mario felt his eyes began to water, not realizing how this was really eating him alive until he said all out loud. "But he trusted me, and now I'm going to lose that. We never kept secrets from each other...Peach, I might lose him."

He felt silly for shedding a few tears in front of the Princess. Mario rarely cries to begin with, he knows how to hide his emotions very well. Except when it comes to his baby brother.

Mario felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders, and without much of a thought he rested his head on her shoulder, burying his face into the crook of her neck. He always felt safe with Peach. He just did, even though he was the one that protected her. "You're not going to lose him." Peach's voice was soft. "Of course he's going to be mad. But this is Luigi, he will understand, though you have to tell him first. Don't let him find out on his own." She petted the back of his head.

From the distance, it just looked like a friendly hug or cuddle. But in reality he was desperately trying to control the whirlwind of emotions inside of him.

"You're going to be okay." She gently kisses his forehead like she always does after he rescues her, and that familiar but slightly embarrassing redness returns to Marios face. She doesn't notice, of course. "I promise."

End of Chapter

A/N: Aw, Mario and Peach are adorable. I'm such a sucker for romance, so you know you're going to see more of that lovey-dovey crapola... I'm just going to apologize ahead of time.


	13. Chapter 13

" _Sal, what are you doing?!"  
_

 _"Relax bro, I've done this a million times."_

 _"You're lying."_

" _Just make sure that she's watching."_

 _"Oh for the love of..."_

 **Chapter 13: Birdcage**

Luigi woke up to the familiar light of his alarm clock. He groaned, not at the sudden harsh blue light that shined in his eyes, but the fact that it told him that it was four in the morning.

He stopped having nightmares since Mr. L arrived, much to his relief. But that only serves him well with taking care of Mr. L. Who has been suffering from the horrible night terrors enough for the entire kingdom. Luigi shuffled around under his blankets, feeling a weight that was pressed against his chest, he lifted the blanket to reveal a bundle of messy dark brown hair. He sighed, used to his formal alter ego unusual nighttime routine.

Sometimes Luigi would wake up in the middle of the night with the sudden urge to check on Mr. L. His instincts were right, they always were. Luigi would go to the living room, where their newest family member has claimed their couch. Mr. L would be trapped either in a horrible nightmare or worse, reliving a memory. Luigi would wake him up, Mr. L would panic, cry and then they all could go back to sleep.

But sometimes when Mr. L would have a tougher night than usual, he would somehow sneak in here without Luigi noticing and crawl into bed with him. Luigi doesn't know how he does it, despite Mr. L having a very loud personality, he can be awfully quiet when he wants to. Sometimes Luigi feels like he's living with a ghost more than an actual human.

Though Mr. L climbing into bed after a terrible nightmare reminded Luigi when he and Mario used to share a bed when they were little. It brought back memories of hiding under the covers and reading old comic books by flashlight. Luigi knew that this nightmare business wouldn't last forever, and he wouldn't be plagued with Mr. L's surprise sleepovers for long. He wonders if he would miss it, being needed.

Knowing that Mr. L wouldn't wake up anytime soon, Luigi clicked on the lamp beside his bed to quickly check his scars. Mr. L has been doing a lot better after a month of living with his new brothers. His wounds had mostly healed, although he knew that those scars will never leave him. Mr. L had gained some weight back, although he is almost just as thin as Waluigi. The formal minion often brags that he could squeeze through anything like a cat. At least he's healthier, he looks less fragile now even though this is only the beginning.

Mr. L stirred in his sleep, mumbling about something that Luigi couldn't really understand. He clicked off the light, getting comfortable with the hopes that he would fall back asleep. Mr. L's grip tightened around Luigi's waist, and this time he caught a 'no, don't' from the newest brother. He wonders if Mr. L would ever have a good dream again. Luigi felt his eyelids become heavy, and he quickly welcomes sleep once more.

Later that morning, Luigi woke up to sunlight streaming into his room. He was by himself once again, Mr. L doesn't sleep much to begin with, so he's probably waiting in the kitchen for him and Mario to wake up. Since he doesn't dare to venture into town by himself, at least not yet.

Luigi had just finished making his bed when there was a knock at the door. "Luigi?" It was Mario, the door cracked open and the oldest stuck his head in, phone in hand. "Peach just called, she said that Rufus is going to be released today."

Rufus was a small injured bird that Peach was taking care of, during her spare time she likes to take care of the birds that would sometimes crash into the palace windows. If she wasn't a Princess, Luigi believed she would be a great animal doctor.

Luigi quickly finished making the bed, grabbing his shoes and slipping them on. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's say goodbye to Rufus!"

"Who's Rufus?" Mr. L appeared behind Mario, still in his oversized pajamas. Luigi squeezed past both of his brothers, pouring a quick cup of coffee to start his day. As usual, Mr. L had drank most of it, saving enough just for the others to have their cup.

"Rufus is a sick bird that Peach was taking care of." Luigi quickly explained, grabbing an outfit from a basket of neatly folded clean clothes he forgot to put away last night, for Mr. L to quickly throw on. "If we're not fast enough, we're going to miss her releasing him. So we got to go!"

"Okay! Okay!" Mr. L ran into the bathroom to get changed. "It's just a bird, calm down!" He called from the other side of the bathroom door.

...

Later at the castle, the three made their way through the entrance. They were greeted by Peach, who was wearing a very casual pink and white summer dress. Her hair was neatly braided, her crown missing. She greeted the three of them with a quick hug, she had a bounce in her step today.

Peach lead them to the gardens, where there were already some birds in the birdbath and feeder. She loved her animals, as bird watching was one of the many things she loved to do. She turned back to the entrance. "Let me get Rufus! I'll be right back."

The three was left to quietly admire the garden, it wasn't the first time Mr. L had been here. But not in the morning light. This place seemed otherworldly, like they stepped into another dimension. Mr. L glanced back at Luigi who was looking a little envious of a patch of roses. He could never get his to look like the ones in this garden. Mr. L smirked to himself at the possible fuel for a little lighthearted teasing when they get home. Just because Mr. L isn't a bad guy anymore, doesn't mean he has to give up all the fun.

Luigi sat next to him on the bench, watching Mario wait by the entrance for the Princess. Mr. L absentmindedly reached up to scratch an older scar on the back of his neck.

"How are those doing?" Luigi's voice was low, something Mr. L was grateful for. Since there were a few toads working on the garden around them. His problems were none of their business.

Mr. L crossed his arms. "They're fine, it just itches like crazy, I can't stand it sometimes." To prove his point, Mr. L's hand went back to the same spot on his neck. But Luigi stopped him.

"I know, but itching means healing. Try not to mess with them, I'm so scared that you'll get an infection." Luigi gave Mr. L's wrist a quick squeeze. The other shook his head with a huff.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Luigi could hear the unmistakable clicking of Peachs heels on the old stone pavement. In her arms was a large elegant looking white cage with a small bird inside. Luigi turned to greet the Princess, standing up and leaving Mr. L on the bench. "Are you ready to let Rufus go.."

Luigi was suddenly cut off when a bloodcurdling scream erupted behind him, he turned to see Mr. L taking several steps back. His body was shaking, and all the color had drained from his face. "Mr. L?" Luigi took a step forward, a feeling of panic began to coil in his stomach.

"No, no, no, no, no." Mr. L repeated, running inside a nearby gardening shed. Luigi quickly running after him.

"Mr. L!"

Luigi followed him into the gardening shed, where he found Mr. L curled up in the corner. His hands covering the top of his head and his face buried in his knees. "No, no- I don't want to go back in the cage- I'll be good- I promise."

Luigi quietly approached him, gently grabbing his hand "Mr. L?"

Mr. L cuts him off with a startled scream, kicking himself back farther into the corner. Luigi grabbed his wrists, gently shaking him. "Mr. L! It's just me- it's just me..."

It took a minute for Mr. L to come back to his senses with a jump, Luigi pulled the still shaking Mr. L into his arms, doing his best to calm him down. He felt powerless, but he figured that he's doing the right thing when Mr. L didn't push away.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay." Luigi petted the back of Mr. L's head, the formal evil personality gripped his shirt, afraid that he would leave.

Familiar clicking of heels brought his attention from Mr. L, Peach knelt on the other side of Mr. L, her face containing a look of concern and guilt. "Mr. L... are you okay?"

Mr. L opened his eyes, looking over his shoulder at Peach. "I-I'm sorry..."

Peach shook her head, rubbing his arm. "No- I'm sorry." She cuts herself off with a gasp. "Is this because of the birdcage?"

Mr. L was silent, embarrassment creeping up to his cheeks. He wanted to shrug off her hand off of his shoulder, but when he's like this, he's suddenly incredibly weak. Too exhausted to much of anything.

Peach was silent, and Luigi recognized the face when she makes when she's in deep thought. Less than a minute passed until she spoke again. "Mr. L... do you want to be the one to open the cage, do you want to set the bird free...?"

Luigi wanted to speak up, saying that Mr. L shouldn't be around any birdcages anytime soon. But Mr. L stirred from the tight ball he was curved up in against Luigi's chest. He fully turned to Peach, his eyes reflecting the uncertainty and pain he was feeling. Somehow, Mr. L managed to smile. "C-can I?"

Peach smiled back. "You sure can..."

Entering the center of the garden, Mario approached them with the cage, Mr. L froze for a moment when he saw the cage again.

A memory began to resurface, Dimentio kept him in a cage similar to that. On days when he was unsatisfied with the progress Mr. L was making, he would conjure up a suffocating blanket over the cage. It would never kill him, but the traumatizing silence and the still air was worse than anything that was inflicted onto his body.

Mr. L reached for the cage, flinching when he touched it. As if it burned him. But with a frustrating gasp, he took the cage in his hands. He stared down at the bird, it was small and black with a shimmer of green. The bird looked up at him, it's head cocked to the side. Mr. L began to search in his memory, a freebird. He remembers seeing them years ago. They're very common in the Mushroom Kingdom, but not really anyway else. Though white and grey are the most common colors.

He smiled down at the bird, it's feathers were still ruffled up from Mr. L's outburst earlier. But other than that the bird was okay. He looked back at the others who stayed back, silently encouraging him keep going.

Up in the sky more birds flew overhead, probably leaving for the winter. "You want to join your friends?" Mr. L whispered to the bird so the others didn't hear him. The bird fluffed it's wings when the cage was rattled when he positioned the cage to be opened. "Well then, you're free..."

The cage popped open when Mr. L pulled the latch, the door swinging open. Without hesitation the bird hops out of the cage, landing on the grass before taking off. The bird quickly disappearing in the distance. Behind him he could hear the others saying goodbye to the bird.

Luigi walked up to stand next to him, watching where the bird had disappeared at. Mr. L turned his attention back to him, and they share a knowing smile. Things are going to get better.

For the first time Mr. L slept through the night.

End of Chapter


	14. Chapter 14

" _If I was a bird... I would be an ostrich."  
_

 _"Why an ostrich?"_

 _"I don't_ _know. They just look cool."_

 _"Okay..."_

" _They would call me Captain Feathers."_

 _"Sal.."_

 **Chapter Fourteen: Changing Tides**

Winter was in full swing. A thick blanket of snow had covered the Mushroom Kingdom. Traffic and any other excitement that often decorated the town slowed down. The winters were harsh here in the Kingdom, but the natives of this region had well adapted to the freeze. Including the brothers.

Except for Mr. L.

"Gah!"

Luigi flinched when the front door slammed shut. He looked up from his paper to see Mr. L partially frozen at the entrance. Luigi shook his head with mild amusement. "I told you to grab a coat."

Mr. L narrowed his eyes at him. "I thought you were just being overprotective. I mean- when Mario went out to get the mail- he was barefoot!" Mr. L shivered, grabbing a nearby throw blanket to wrap himself in. In the kitchen both of them could hear Mario laugh at Mr. L's predicament.

Other than Mr. L experiencing snow for the first time, when he was dressed more appropriate for it. More changes has happened in the Brothers household. Wounds had been fully closed, bruises now just memories. Though the scars, much to Mr. L's disappointment will never truly leave.

Mr. L learned to adapt to his new home, moving from the couch to taking over the guest bedroom, that was once just used for storage. The brothers, happy to have the couch back, gladly help him clean out the room.

As the month rolls on, with Mr. L discovering the plentiful winter themed holidays that the Kingdom celebrates. The end of the year was quickly approaching and the one thing he knows is that Peach always celebrates the new year with a massive ball.

So that's where Mr. L found himself, wearing an uncomfortable suit and tie in a corner of a massive ballroom. He met most of these people around him, but some still chose to keep a distance from him. Just incase he wasn't as safe as he claimed to be. Which was okay, Mr. L wasn't a very social person anyway, at least, not like how he used to be. Part of him wanted to awkwardly hang around and practically be Luigi's shadow for the evening, but Daisy has captured all of Luigi's attention and he didn't want to feel like a third wheel. Instead he reassured Luigi that he'll be okay, and that if anything happens he would step out to deprogram.

It's a strange thing, this weird state of existing is. Where he would be fine for a minute, and then suddenly a sight or a smell or anything simple and silly like that could kick up a massive storm inside of Mr. L. He hated this anxious feeling he would sometimes get in between sudden panic attacks. Like he panics over the thought of panicking. It's so...ugh. There are no words to really describe it. His doctors and psychiatrist had put names to it, but he refuses to address it. He just couldn't, it would be just too much for him. Too real.

Mr. L felt the familiar pang of paranoia creep up on him, for most of the party he had slowly moved over until he was in a corner. Even though no one was really paying attention to him, he had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Keeping his promise to Luigi, he quickly slipped out into the gardens. It was peaceful here anyways. The gardens became one of his favorite places to be. Mr. L crossed his arms, suppressing a shiver. There were heating lamps that were set up, so the bitter cold wasn't as terrible as it should be.

He sat at the edge of a massive water fountain. The fountain was empty, drained prior to the freeze to protect the plumbing. The music from the hall were muffled by the windows. Despite the heating lamps, no one in their right mind would be out here. He'll be safe here.

"Hey."

Mr. L jumped at the new voice, he quickly turned to face its source. His breath caught in his throat, if his nose and cheeks weren't red from the cold, they would be now.

There stood a woman, who looked a little startled herself. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

She wore a long red dress, that fits to her every curve. Her dark brown hair was down, curled and styled for the evening. She wore long white opera gloves that rests just above her elbows, a fur wrap was draped around her shoulders to help fight off the cold. The fur was fake, obviously. Peach wouldn't be friends with her otherwise. The woman probably stood around the same height as Peach, though he couldn't really tell because of those heels. She stared down at him. "Mind if I sit here?"

Mr. L nodded, letting her sit next to him. She adjusted her red gown, then tucking a stray hair behind her ear, revealing a gold earring. She looked over to silently study his face. Meanwhile Mr. L tried not to stare at her, ignoring how her soft lavender eyes practically sparked under her eyelashes. Or how full her lips were, how her smile was so inviting.

"Have we met before?" She leaned just a little closer and Mr. L wondered if she could feel his pulse from where he was sitting. Deep down, she does seem very familiar. Though he couldn't exactly remember where.

"Uh, no. Sorry. Are you friends with the Princess?" Mr. L asked, sounding like he was trying way too hard to sound casual. Of course she's friends with Peach, she wouldn't be here if she wasn't. Stupid. He silently berated himself, so stupid. He wished that Luigi was here so he could hide behind him. A few years ago, he would've been giving her every possible cheesy pick up line possible. Where did all of his confidence go?

Oh, right.

She bit her bottom lip, he could only assume she was thinking. "Oh. I am. I dated Mario for a little bit until we decided that we would've made better friends. He introduced me to her. She's such a sweetheart." She chuckled at the memory. "I usually don't come to these sorts of things. But Peach's New Years parties are practically legendary. It's almost unlucky to miss it."

The two fell into silence, he thought it would be awkward but it surprised him how comfortable he is. The panic he was feeling earlier was long forgotten, as this lady in the red dress was being a fantastic distraction. Overhead snow began to fall, though most of it melted because of the lamps, though some of the snow manage to reach them. Some of it even manage to land in her hair. This time Mr. L didn't stop himself from looking at her.

"I remember now." She sat up straighter, snapping her fingers. "You're Mr. L, right?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Mr. L felt the familiar prickle of nerves in his stomach, she must've heard of him somehow. Hopefully it wasn't anything too negative.

"Just the stuff around town, I completely forgot that stuff like this spreads like wildfire here. You wouldn't believe some of the things that they were whispering about the last time I visited. I guess you have to be completely locked away to avoid it." She looked down at her hand, which was resting on the edge of the fountain they were sitting on. It sat next to Mr. L's, her attention turned back to him.

"Mind if I asked what they were saying about me?" Mr. L asked, raising an eyebrow. Now more curious than worried about what the village people here were saying about him.

"Well." She said "I heard that you were somehow connected to Luigi. That you were a bad guy that came from another dimension where you were in a really bad situation..." She trailed off, looking guilty. "Sorry, I guess you don't want to hear all about that."

Mr. L sighed. "Nah, it's okay." He paused, wondering where to even begin. "But I'm from a timeline, not a dimension, where the bad guys won- yes I was in a... bad situation, and I'm not just connected to Luigi, I WAS Luigi. But then I became me. Hope that makes sense, because it's kind of difficult to explain." Or that he shouldn't really be trying to explain it to her. Even though she feels so familiar, so much that he has to actually remind himself that she is still in fact, a complete stranger.

She shook her head, looking a little overwhelmed but he admired that she didn't show just how much she was. Instead she smiled, making the real effort to understand. "I think I got it." A pause. "Actually, I think it's kind of amazing." Mr. L gave her a strange look, she continues without noticing. "You were in a bad place, and despite what may have been against you, you got out. You're now here, in this life." She paused, as if there were something admirable about him. He didn't think of it, but the way she looked at him, he may just begin to believe it. "Some people are calling you a real hero."

Mr. L felt the redness returning to his cheeks, and he couldn't help but to smile back at her. "Th- thank you."

They fell into another comfortable silence, inside he could hear Peach announce that the countdown to midnight is coming up.

"Are you sure we never met before? Besides the whole... Luigi thing?" Her voice was soft, leaning in a little closer to him.

"Well, there are many different timelines where we probably know each other, ones where we could've been friends, or mortal enemies...uh." Lovers. They could have been lovers. But Mr. L didn't voice that, but the redness of his face was more than enough for her to get the idea. He doesn't even know her name, he's not too knowledgeable with this subject but he knows this- he has to at least know her name.

Inside the countdown to midnight began, and she sighed. "Darn, guess we're having bad luck this year" she crossed her arms, looking away from him. He knew the answer, obviously. You kiss someone at the stroke of midnight for good luck. A New Years kiss. He doesn't really believe it, but it's harmless so he doesn't see any reason to argue with it. He just honestly doesn't understand how a simple kiss could bring luck. Inside the hall he could see Luigi and Daisy looking at each other. He couldn't see Daisy's face, but he could see Luigi turning a bright red.

The woman who sat next to him suddenly turned back to him, grabbing Mr. L by the hand. Inside he felt a twitch of panic of being suddenly grabbed. But he steadied himself. She doesn't know, but what's more strange is that he sort of trusts her.

The countdown continues on inside, but he couldn't really hear thanks to his pounding heart. He could only feel her hand on top of his. She leaned in. "You say that there's a possibility that we know each other in a, uh, another timeline. Right?"

Mr. L quickly nodded. Even if he wanted to move, he couldn't. She bit her lip, looking into the drained fountain, contemplating on what she should do next. Her head snapped back, eyes practically glowing from determination. "Then if we already know each other in another timeline, then we're going to really get to know each other in this one?"

Her hand went up to rest on his cheek, she was warm. Mr. L quickly nodded."Well, yes. But why..."

She kisses him.

The world around him started to melt away, the distance ringing of a clock signaling that it's now midnight barely reached his ears. But he heard fireworks, not just hearing it because of the 'magic' of a first kiss and all of that nonsense. Actual fireworks. They lit up the night sky above them, bathing the pair in brilliant colors. Maybe instead of missiles, he wondered if he could build the next Brobot with the ability to shoot fireworks. Now that he has a sudden love for them. Her lips were soft, and that familiar feeling began to surface again. He recognizes it now. Home. He feels like he actually has a home. He kisses back, wondering if she has that same feeling too. Maybe he'll ask her, after learning her name. Of course.

Her hand slid down from his cheek to his neck to finally resting on his chest. He could feel his heart pound from under her fingertips. A sudden unwelcome memory suddenly sprung up, causing his blood to run cold. When Dimentio used to place a hand on his chest, he would alway feel a sudden shockwave of absolutely unbearable pain. He doesn't feel it here, but the sudden memory of it causes him to jump back in a panic. Gasping as if he has been shocked.

She moved back too, a look of embarrassment crossed her features. As if she had to remind herself that she has in fact kissed a complete stranger. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry- I shouldn't have." She got up to leave "I'm so sorry."

"No wait!" Mr. L managed to find his voice, not meaning to actually scare her. But she was too far away from him to hear. He couldn't help it, it suddenly crashed onto him all at once and he couldn't stop himself from reacting the way he did. She probably thought that she scared him. But he wanted to kiss her, he did. He really did.

Panic turned to guilt, then grief. He didn't even know her name. Sure he could just ask Peach or even Mario. But maybe this was for the best. Maybe he was too broken to really be happy. Maybe that was Dimentio's plan all along. That even though Mr. L would have escaped, he could never truly be free.

Mr. L leaned over in his seat, his hand covering his eyes. He hated crying, he truly does. He hates the feeling of being so stupidly weak. But it's all he seems to do now. Cry and hide behind Luigi. He's really starting to get tired of it.

He's so tired.

...

Meanwhile, Luigi and the others went out to the balcony where Peach uses to formally address her subjects to watch the firework show.

Down below Luigi immediately spotted Mr. L by the fountain, hunched over. Probably nursing a headache. Parties seem so overwhelming for him. He obviously felt bad, he wanted to go down there but with Daisy on his arm, he couldn't. She wouldn't let him. It has been so long since they had seen each other that Daisy just wouldn't let him go. He kissed her at midnight, of course. Silently promising himself that he would spend more time with her. He wanted to make sure that she knows that he loves her. With everything that has been going on lately, he had been distant. She didn't deserve that.

They found a bench, away from the rest of the party goers. So they could watch the firework show in peace. Daisy rested her head on his shoulder, staring up at the fireworks with a large dreamy smile. He leaned over to kiss her on the forehead, hearing her sigh. Luigi looks over to Mario, who stood next to the Princess with a love stricken look.

He was joking with Mario earlier that he would kiss him at midnight too because he's too chicken to kiss Peach. A joke Luigi makes every year since he found out how much Mario really cares about the Princess. He didn't, of course, he didn't want to embarrass his brother in front of half of the kingdom. But one day Luigi hopes that Mario will get that courage to confront Peach. He's brave with everything else, so the whole business with Peach is something he just doesn't understand. Maybe some day.

"I love fireworks." He heard Daisy sigh. "They're so romantic."

"Yeah.." Luigi trailed off, his arm around her tightened. He looks down at her with a smile, her attention turns back to him.

"What are you looking at?" Daisy chuckles, and Luigi leans in to kiss her.

"You." He said, smiling against her mouth. "I love you."

...

The car ride back home was quiet. Mr. L sat in the back, staring outside of the car window. Luigi turns his head back to watch Mr. L. His formal alter ego didn't notice him, his eyes were red and sore. Luigi frowned, what the name of the Underwhere had happened to him?

"Hey." Luigi called out, another moment of silence passed before Mr. L fully acknowledged that someone was even talking to him.

"What." Mr. L's response was flat. Lifeless. Luigi's eyebrows arched with concern. Mr. L had been snappy before, but this was new. Then again they're still adjusting to everything that's going on with Mr. L. Luigi wished that he could get into his head, like the Luigi that used to be in Mr. L's body. So he could help his new brother and they can all move on with their lives. Luigi shook his head, feeling a twinge of guilt. This wasn't Mr. L's fault, he didn't choose to have this happen to him.

"Are you okay...?" Luigi's voice cracked, Mario adjusted the rear view window to also look at the passenger in the backseat. Mr. L then made eye contact with Mario through the mirror. Before glancing over to Luigi. Expression never changing.

"I'll... tell you later."

The three brothers returned to silence.

End of Chapter

A/N: If you have read the original, you'll know who the lady Mr. L fell in love with is. Though it was important for this story for him to not know her identity. You don't have to read the original to learn who she is. You'll learn who she is later. (She's not a fan character. I promise. Lol)


	15. Chapter 15

" _Ugh, I can't believe how much of a disaster that was."_

 _"What was?"_

 _"The date I just went on, our first date to be exact! The diner we went to was terrible and on our way_ _back someone tried to mug us!"_

 _"I'm so sorry to hear_ _about that, Sal."_

 _"Nah. We both got a good laugh_ _out of it... She has the prettiest laugh_."

 **Chapter Fifteen: The New Normal**

Spring was just around the corner, and though Luigi never got Mr. L to open up about what happened during New Years, the brothers went on with their lives.

Mr. L continued the slow healing process without a hitch. Those improvements being that Luigi hasn't woken up in the middle of the night, nor had Mr. L had crawled into his bed. He was thankful for the change, as things were starting to actually become normal again. But not as normal as it was before Mr. L. This was slowly becoming the new normal, and Luigi loved every moment of it.

But today wasn't one of their better days. Luigi hadn't seen Mr. L at all, of course Luigi knew better than to just leave him be. If Mario had left Luigi alone, only Grambi knows where he would be now. Not taking care of Mr. L, that's for sure.

He stood just outside of Mr. L's door, anxious about knocking and actually confronting his new brother. Maybe Mario had felt this way too, not scared of confronting his family. But scared of what would happen if he didn't. Luigi silently reminded himself to thank Mario for the millionth time before knocking on the door.

"Mr. L?"

There was a pause, Luigi held his breath. Waiting for any signs of life on the other side. Finally there was a shuffling and a all too familiar grunt.

"For the last time, I don't want to build a Grambi-dammed snowman."

Luigi lets out the breath he was holding with a chuckle. Cracking open the door. "Can I come in? I haven't seen you all day."

"Sure." Mr. L mumbled, barely audible from his pillow. Luigi stepped in, trying his best to ignore the pure chaos that is Mr. L's room.

Clothes, tools and random little machines Mr. L has been tinkering with littered his room. Lopsided posters and half finished notes and blueprints hung from the wall, some of them nailed to the wall. Others stuck on with duct tape. Thick curtains blocked out the intense sunlight that often plagued the room. Mr. L originally wanted to just tape paper to the window but Luigi wouldn't let him. The thick curtains were a good compromise. Plus they go with the furniture, not that Mr. L cared about that. Most of the furniture ended up pretty much destroyed by the end of the month.

The newest member of the family was sprawled out on his bed, only wearing his dark green boxers, grey undershirt and socks. His gloves were missing, grimily reminding Luigi that on Mr. L's left hand he is missing the tip of one of his fingers. Mr. L wouldn't tell him much about the injury, all he ever said that it was 'bitten off'-after that Luigi simply didn't want to know. Same goes for the rest of his wounds.

Luigi sat at the edge of the bed. Trying to study the others face which was squished into his pillow. "You know, I can't even try to help you unless you tell me what's been eating you, besides the usual, of course."

Mr. L's muffled chuckle in the pillow gave Luigi the confidence to keep prying. "Is this still about what happened at New Years? I'm still in the dark about that too. "

Usually this was where Mr. L would completely shut down, before leaving for his room. But Mr. L is in his room and he's in no state to really throw Luigi out. Mr. L stirred again, lifting his head. Expression unreadable. "Question."

Luigi smiled, raising an eyebrow. Hope shined behind his eyes, finally a breakthrough. "Shoot."

Mr. L rolled over to his back, puffing a stray hair away from his face. "When you first met Daisy, what did you exactly feel?"

Luigi paused, Mr. L never really cared much about Daisy. The few times they interacted with each other they pretty much butt heads. Luigi's mind drifted back to the first time he even saw her. Remembering how his breath seemed to be knocked out of him. When he finally got to meet her, she felt like something new and exiting yet something familiar. It was a weird thing to experience. But the feeling was welcome.

"Well, I guess the usual things." Luigi began. "Um, butterflies and the usual nerves. I guess it felt like I knew her for my entire life- it's strange. It really is."

"It felt like you were home?" Mr. L rested his hands across his stomach, staring up at the ceiling fan. It had a sock taped to one of the blades. Luigi sighed when he finally noticed it, Mr. L was just plain weird sometimes. It was distracting to say the least, Grambi only knows what's running through his mind sometimes.

"Well, yeah. How did you know?" Luigi asked. He knew that Mr. L heard him, he just hopes that maybe he could finally get somewhere with this enigma of a brother.

"I met someone... at the party." Mr. L sighed, continuing to stare up at the ceiling fan. Ignoring Luigi's look of surprise.

"Wow, really? But why were you sulking for the past few.." Luigi suddenly cuts himself off. "Oh, oh no... What happened?"

Mr. L lazily cocked his head towards Luigi before adverting his eyes, a little embarrassed about the situation. "She kissed me at midnight, and I did wanted her to. But she put her hand on my chest and..." He glared up at the sock taped to his ceiling fan, mostly angry at himself than anything else. "I freaked out- okay? I freaked out and I scared her away- and I'm probably never going to see her again." Mr. L rolled over so his back is facing Luigi. "So there. Now you know. Happy?"

Luigi frowned, he knew that he should've been down there with him, or at least close enough to know who Mr. L was talking about. "Don't give up so easily. I'm sure she'll understand what you're going through. I'm sure Peach would help us find her. What's her name?"

Mr. L paused before sighing heavily. "I don't know."

"You kissed her and you don't even know her name?" Luigi crossed his arms. "Well, maybe I know her. Can you describe her? What was she wearing?"

"She was dressed like vintage movie star.."

"Hair?"

"When the light touched it it shined like copper and gold"

"Okay... eyes?"

"Heavenly."

Luigi rolled his eyes, about ready to give up. "You're not helping. What color was she wearing?"

"Red."

"That's better." Luigi patted Mr. L's shoulder. "We'll find her. Don't worry."

Mr. L curled up on his side, looking away from Luigi. "Maybe it's better if we don't find her. I don't want to scare her again."

Luigi tightened his grip on Mr. L's shoulder, though not enough to hurt him. "That is nonsense! You of all people deserve to find someone. You're going to get through this and you're going to find that woman..." Everyone deserves to find someone, no matter who they are. Mr. L just needed to understand that.

Before Mr. L could say anything else, Luigi's stomach began to growl. Lunch time. Mr. L sighed at the blessing in disguise, time for a change of subject. He sat up, stretching his arms. "Well, time to feed the bear that lives in your stomach. He's starting to get hangry."

"Hangry isn't a word." Luigi replied flatly, though happy to see Mr. L somewhat normal again. Luigi stood up too, quickly ripping the sock off the ceiling fan when it circled by his head before it could hit his face, gross. "I'll go make lunch."

Luigi left the room with Mr. L following behind him. "I appreciate you taking care of me and all." The newest addition began. "But I can do some things on my own."

Luigi glanced over his shoulder. "I know, but let me remind you what happened the last time you cooked..." Not like he needed to be reminded, they still had the pot that is missing it's bottom. Mr. L watched as Luigi quickly disappeared into the kitchen before taking a seat next to Mario. The oldest was swearing under his breath, the DVD player remote in his hand.

Mr. L smirked at the oldest. "Do you want me to.." He was cut off when Mario brushed off the half-hearted attempt at help. The phone began to ring in the kitchen, but he payed no real notice as Luigi quickly answered it with the usual 'Segale house, Luigi speaking'. Meanwhile poor Mario was about to throw the remote out of the window.

"Lousy disk player, this is the last time I get something like this second hand. This is ridiculous." Mario tossed the remote on to the coffee table. "It didn't even come with instructions!"

Mr. L picks up the remote, studying it with increasing fascination. "Are you sure you don't want me to look at it?" Mr. L asked again, resisting the want to pry the remote open to look at the circuit board.

Mario leaned back into his seat, crossing his arms. "Nah, you'll probably make it sentient and it would still not want to work for me." He laughed at his own joke while Mr. L continued to stare down at the remote. It would make toast too and speak in an funny accent. He's not allowed to have missiles anymore, so he'll improvise. Like maybe it could shoot fireworks.

Fireworks...

The sudden crash of the house phone dropping to the floor startled both of the brothers. Looking over his shoulder Mr. L could clearly see the shock and horror on Luigi's face. He stood frozen in his spot. Mario was the first to get up, approaching Luigi. "Bro? Is everything okay..?"

Luigi was able to catch his breath when Mario placed a hand on his shoulder. The younger brother faced him, before shaking his head. It took him a moment to suppress any emotions from bubbling to the surface. Finally Luigi found his words, but they were were ones that this family hoped to have never encounter again.

"Dimentio... he- he somehow escaped The Underwhere..."

End of Chapter


	16. Chapter 16

" _Wait, you're leaving us?"_

 _"I know, it's sudden. But I have this need to travel somewhere, anywhere. I only know this area and I want to explore."_

" _I don't know what to say."_

 _"I'll be back, I won't leave you forever_. _I promise."_

 **Chapter 16: The Shadow of Chaos**

Bleck Castle was the center of what Luigi could only describe as a hurricane. When the Chaos Heart was first destroyed, they all agreed that Castle Bleck would be the meeting place incase there was a chance that it could rise again. You could never be too sure with something that had the power to destroy absolutely everything.

So there he was, sitting at a massive table. Around him were familiar faces, many of which he had came across on that fateful adventure. For once Luigi felt comfortable around them, several months ago he would've stayed home.

He couldn't say the same for Mr. L though. The newest member of the Segale family stuck out like a sore thumb. He sat between O'Chunks and Mimi. On the other side Nastasia sat at the head of the table, Merlon sat the closest to her with the Light Prognosticus sitting in front of him. Personally he didn't think the book was really needed. It was just one magician, surely a book like that was no longer needed.

Luigi then glanced over at Mr. L, they quickly made eye contact and he tried to reassure that things will be okay with a smile.

Mr. L didn't take the news well when Luigi told him about Dimentio. The nightmares returned with a vengeance and none of the brothers have gotten much rest ever since. The exhaustion and raw fear was very visible on the poor mans face.

Mr. L stared down at his hand, the one Mimi was gripping onto like it was her life support. The two haven't left his side since they arrive and Luigi was grateful for it. Of course he loved his new brother, but sometimes he just needs a break. There's only so much he could take.

Mario leaned back into his chair crossing his arms. "How did this bastard even escape in the first place? I thought Jaydees locked him in one of their best prisons in the Underwhere."

"We don't know.." Nastasia's voice was small, her glasses were gone, tossed carelessly onto the table. "He must've known someone on the inside, or somehow found a back door..."

The rest of the group were silent, Merlon quietly surveyed the room until his eyes landed onto Mr. L. The man didn't say much throughout this mess of a meeting. Just the thought of the Chaos Heart somehow coming back was terrifying, but that's just what it is. A thought. That tale was done.

"Listen, everyone." Merlon finally stood up, the tension was more than enough for him. "The Chaos Heart is..." he paused, no one noticing that he quickly stole a glance at Luigi. "...Gone. It's not coming back. It will never come back."

"He's right." Luigi's voice was a louder than Merlon's. He didn't stand up to address anyone. He didn't need to. He actually had their attention, for once. "All we need to worry about is Dimentio, and we fought him before."

"He's probably powerless, I don't know much about this stuff. But I do know that you loose a lot of magic when you die..." Mario chimed in, Peach sat next to him. She was also holding his hand tightly, like the way Mimi was holding onto Mr. L.

"He's right." Peach continued for him. "It also takes a lot of power to bring something back. Maybe he used the last of it just to resurrect himself. Maybe we're panicking for nothing."

"Precisely my sentiment." Merlon said, nodding to the Princess. "It's like you read my mind."

"Don't underestimate Dimentio..." Mr. L finally spoke up. Luigi frowned at him, eyebrows raised in concern. He originally wanted Mr. L to not be here throughout this ordeal, since he had more than enough of this mess, more than everyone here. But the mechanic insisted, he put on a brave face and was willing to take part of this battle once again. Luigi couldn't help but to be proud of him.

"What was that, young man?" Merlon crossed his arms. All eyes were on Mr. L and Luigi could tell that it was making him uncomfortable. But he stood up anyway, the sarcastic smirk that he often wore to hide his insecurities was gone. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"I said, don't underestimate Dimentio." Mr. L bared his teeth, hands balled into fists. "That's what he wants. He flew under the radar and that's how he got away with everything before. He's not weak, he is just as much as a threat as he was before he died." Mr. L remained standing, too anxious to sit back down.

Peach decided to add to the conversation, standing up herself. She reached across the table in an attempt to comfort him. "Mr. L, this isn't the Dimentio from your dimension. We've defeated him before, and we can certainly do it again. He's probably even harmless now.."

A pause...

"HARMLESS?!"

Mr. L began to frantically unbutton his shirt, loosing his patience he ripped the final button that held his collar shut. Revealing a pattern of malicious and hideous scars. "Does this look harmless to you? Your Dimentio is just as capable of doing this than mine was. I did not work my fingers to the bone to get here just to see it all destroyed because YOU think he's harmless!"

Without another word Mr. L left leaving the rest in a stunned silence. Peach sat down, hand over her mouth like she was going to be sick. "How could...how could a person do that to someone..."

"Dimentio is not a person..." Mario rested a hand on the center of Peach's back, like she had done for him so many times before. "He's... I don't know what he is."

He watched Luigi leave the massive chamber. Though he didn't expect Merlon to follow too, but he was too tired to see what's up. Nastasia remind quiet herself, face buried in her hands. Mimi leaned against O'Chunks. If Mario strained his hearing, he could hear her crying.

...

Meanwhile Luigi slammed the door behind him, it didn't take him much time to locate Mr. L. Though the other had really made the effort to not be found.

Mr. L sat outside of a window. His legs dangling off of the ledge of the stone carvings, Luigi wanted to join him but there wasn't enough room for him. The now considered youngest brother was quiet, continuing to look down at the abyss that sat just outside of the castle. His face devoid of emotion.

"Do you... remember this place?" Mr. L's voice was low, not moving from his spot. He reminded Luigi of one of the gargoyles that decorated the castle. He leaned against the windowsill, arms crossed.

"No...sorry." Luigi stared out into the abyss. "Wish I did though, it's a beautiful view."

Mr. L leaned back onto the blackened stone wall with a sigh. "I used to come out here when things got too... I don't know." He smiled at the memory. "This dimension doesn't really have night and day. But during the twilight hours, the sky turns into a lighter purple. I guess it's as close as a sunset we could get." Mr. L paused, starting down at his shoes "Dimentio... The one from my world. He kept the sky like this. This dimensions sky is very similar to the Void, so it was supposed to be a constant reminder of his victory... but it reminded me of home. It was one of the few comforts I had."

The breeze was cold, too cold for Luigi but Mr. L didn't even flinch. Even with an open shirt. Luigi sighed. "Peach didn't mean anything malicious in calling Dimentio harmless. She didn't know how bad it was."

Mr. L lazily rolled his head over to the side to face Luigi. "I know. I didn't mean to yell at her, or cause a scene- I shouldn't have been in there, I... I should've listened to you..."

Luigi shook his head. "It's okay. You deserve to be a part of this... You were right, I can't shelter you forever."

Luigi took several steps back to give Mr. L enough space to climb back in the room. He stretched to pop his back with a sigh. He was about to say something else until Merlon barged into the room. Wasting no time he walked up to Mr. L for a closer look at his scars.

"It can't be.." Merlon whispered to himself, leaning closer to look at the scars. Mr. L instinctively leaned back at the violation of personal space. His eyes automatically shifted to Luigi's, giving him a well rehearsed look that says 'I'm uncomfortable, please take care of this.'

"Merlon?" Luigi stood next to the older magician, trying not to sound so confused. "Is everything okay?"

Merlon took a step back. "Mr. L, take off your clothes."

"Well, first you got to buy me dinner." Mr. L's sarcasm was back. Either the mechanic has the most polarizing mood swings or he's a really good actor. Luigi knew the answer, of course. Not a lot of people know Mr. L like he does.

"I'm serious, boy." Merlon pushed the shirt off of his shoulders. Revealing the rest of his scars. The old magician began to go over every mark, his face twisting more with concern and fear the more he uncovers. "I haven't seen this in many centuries..."

"Merlon?" Luigi asked again, trying to mask his own rising fear, but his voice easily gave it all away. "Seriously, please tell me what's going on..."

Silence.

"Merlon!"

The wizard slowly turned Mr. L around, revealing the heart shaped scar carved into his back. Luigi immediately adverted his eyes out of habit, out of all the scars, that was the one Luigi simply couldn't stand to look at. It always made his stomach turn.

"Luigi..." Merlon began, trying to keep his voice even. "These aren't just scars..."

More silence fell between the three of them. Mr. L remained stiff. Arms awkwardly bent the way Merlon instructed him. He refused to turn around. He refused to face what may be his new reality.

"Then..." Luigi swallowed. "Then what are they. If they're not just...scars."

Merlon took a step over to Luigi, resting a hand on his shoulder. Luigi automatically braced himself for the sudden weight that Merlon gave him by using his body for support. As if Merlon's realizations were too burdensome for him to bear on his own.

"They're... instructions."

End of Chapter

A/N: In the original story, I didn't really give Dimentio's character much of anything to work with. I didn't even give him any real buildup, something that a good villain needs. He didn't even seem that threatening... As you can see... I fixed that.


	17. Chapter 17

" _What's this weird feeling? It's like I'm falling but I know I'm standing on solid ground."_

 _"Are you okay?"_

" _Yeah, it's just... I feel a little lost. I guess_."

 **Chapter Seventeen: Masters**

"This is absolutely insane!"

Luigi heard Mario shout from the other side of a once beautifully carved door. After what Merlon found, Luigi had taken Mr. L to a more habitable area, where the formal minions had set up their home amongst the ruins. He hoped it would be more comfortable for Mr. L. At least, as comfortable as dangerous ruins could get.

Mr. L was curled up on an old couch. Luigi sat next to him, he hasn't left his side this past hour, too afraid of leaving his formal alter-ego after everything that just happened.

"Luigi?" Mr. L sounded tired. He remained curled up in a thick blanket. Luigi didn't know how to comfort him, any kind of progress that was made was undone in the matter of minutes, and it left him at a total loss. Luigi never hated anyone before, he was not the kind of person to hold hate in his heart. Maybe some jealousy, even anger. But never hate.

But after everything with his new brother, he was quickly learning how to absolutely despise Dimentio.

"Yeah?" Luigi didn't move from his spot, Mr. L snaked his hand from under his blanket. Grabbing Luigi's hand.

"What's going to happen to me?" Mr. L sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Luigi took a moment to breathe. He felt sick. The room kept spinning around him. Luigi always tried to have the answer for Mr. L, but this time...

"I- I don't know." Luigi's voice cracked. "I'm so sorry, but I don't know." He needed to be honest, Mr. L needed him to be honest. "But I know one thing..." Luigi turned to face him, his grip on his hand grew tighter. "I will never let anything happen to you. Dimentio would have to go through me first."

"Don't say that!" Mr. L shook his head with a gasp. "I- I don't want Dimentio near you." He used the blanket to wipe his eyes. "I couldn't keep you alive before... now it's happening all over again."

Luigi frowned, eyes narrowed in determination. "This time it's different. There are both of us fighting now, not just in one body. Dimentio picked a lousy time to crawl out of his hole, because now we are stronger than before."

Mr. L sunk deeper into his bundle of blankets. "I don't feel stronger...not at all..."

There was another shout from the other side of the door. Telling them that things were heating up on the other side. It made the both of them nervous. Mr. L finally lets go of Luigi's hand, curling up in the vain attempt to hide from everything.

"Not at all..."

...

Meanwhile Mario was having a battle of his own. Both internally and with the people around him.

After Merlon's revelation, things had gone from bad to pure chaos. Talk of hosts and the Chaos Heart were tossed in between solutions. Mario mostly had shut it down, explaining multiple times that what is carved onto Mr. L's body is just simply old news from a Dimentio that doesn't exist in this time. Mario had the simplest of solutions, as long as they find and capture the Dimentio of this world, then they have nothing to worry about. It was a fair point. Most have agreed to it. Find Dimentio. Lock him up. The end.

"But this isn't as simple." Merlon shouted from across the table. "Once you manage to cheat death, you now have the knowledge to just keep returning to the dimension of the living as much as you please. If we just find him and bring him back to the Underwhere, he's going to just come back. We're never going to be safe."

Merlee raised a hand. "And what about the carvings?" She joined the group hours ago after Merlon made the gruesome discoveries. "They're obviously there for a reason, if we are not to underestimate Dimentio, then we have to consider both of them.."

"She's right, the Dimentio of Mr. L's timeline was smarter than we originally thought." Merlon joined Merlee's side. "I have poured over every inscription that was carved onto that poor boys skin. It is a note to our Dimentio, instructing him on how to use the poor lad to destroy this world."

It was obvious that the Dimentio from Mr. L's world had figured out that he was trying to escape. But instead of punishing him, he decided to play along. To continue to mess with this poor mans head. Mr. L thought he was free, but to go through such great lengths to control this one person... Something else has to be going on.

"But why Mr. L?" Peach asked, doing her best to hide her discomfort. "I understood why he was needed for the machine, but couldn't he just send something like a letter?"

"That's because..." Nastasia chimed in, her voice shaking. "Oh dear, I think Mr. L is still..."

The group was silent, Mimi and O'Chunks stood farthest away from the group. But was well in earshot. "No!" Mimi stomped over to where she was now standing near Mario and Peach. "That is stupid! Nastasia- this is Mr. L we're talking about..."

"He is considered the perfect host..." Merlon continued his train of thought. "In his timeline, they won. Which means that the Chaos Heart... is still alive inside of him."

The revelation had hit Mario hard, enough for him to fall back into his seat. Peach joined him in the chair beside him. "Mario!"

He leaned over in his seat, hands covering his face. "No..." he mumbled. "No..no..no..."

"What are we going to do?" Merlee began to pace the floor, back turned to the group. "The only way to stop the Chaos Heart is to destroy the host before it gets too powerful..."

"Don't you dare touch him!" Both Mario and Nastasia shouted at the same time. Merlee was about to say something else but stopped herself, stepping away from Mario as if the hero was going to attack her.

"There will be no destroying of any kind." Merlon's voice was strong, effectually silencing all the bickering. "And fighting isn't going to get us anywhere... So sit down. Mario." Mario sat down on command, instead of fighting he'll just refuse to look at Merlee.

"If our suspicion is true..." Merlon began, pacing in front of them as he thinks out loud. "Then we will find a way to remove it, and destroy it. Without harming even a single hair on his mustache."

"Excellent, Merlon!" Merlee applauded. "Finally we got somewhere. The Chaos Heart would have been weakened anyway after destroying it's original timeline."

"Which is good, because if it's too powerful we would stand no chance. The Pure Hearts are way too weak for that kind of thing. They've done their purpose, now there just pretty much sparkly paperweights at this point." Nastasia added.

Silence.

"I do know one thing." Peach began, staring into Mario's eyes. "You have to tell Luigi... You have to tell him now. He needs to know what really happened."

"Alright.." Mario sighed. "I was trying to find a way to tell Luigi without.."

"Tell me what...?"

Both Mario and Peach jumped at the new voice. Luigi stood at the entrance of the massive room. He looked around at the faces of his friends, why are they looking at him like that? Luigi then looked over at Mario who looked as if he was caught in a headlight.

"Mario..." Luigi left the entrance, reluctantly approaching his brother. "What are you talking about...?"

Mario remained frozen in place. At this point Luigi had seen him heart broken and in pain, even nervous. But now Mario looks absolutely terrified. It was more than enough for Luigi to want to immediately take back his question, but he pushed past the feeling.

Suddenly anger began to slowly bubble in his chest, tell him what? Mario had never lied to him, he would never lie to him... he would never...

Pieces began to rapidly click in his head. Dimentio obviously needed Mr. L for something important, so important that he had to take Mr. L into the new world he wanted to create. If that was the case, than what of this Dimentio? The one that they're so worried about finding.

"Mario..." Luigi began to tremble, either in fear or rage. He couldn't tell anymore. "Tell me what?"

"Luigi." Mario slowly stood up. "Please, I didn't want you to get.."

"Tell me..." Luigi's voice was low, his cheeks and nose slowly going red. His mind was racing, only matched by how hard his heart is pounding. He may have figured it out, but he needed to hear it from Mario.

"Luigi." Mario's voice began to crack, bottom lip trembling "I'm so sorry... I.."

"TELL ME!"

"You were the host for the Chaos Heart!" Mario finally cried out. "You weren't knocked out, Dimentio turned you into Mr. L again and you became the host for the Chaos Heart. He- he tried to use you to destroy everything and we had to fight you..." Mario shook his head, trying to push down any kind of tears that were coming to the surface. He tried to take a step forward toward his brother. "Luigi, please- you were in so much pain..."

"Don't." Luigi raised a hand to stop him from going forward, he then took several steps back away from Mario- feeling the room spin. "I... I knew that there was something wrong with me...but you made me feel like I was crazy."

"Luigi, no." Mario began, desperately trying to explain.

"Years of pills and- and needles and therapy- told me that I had a problem, told me that I was sick." Luigi hugged himself, continuing to back away from Mario. The others slowly left the room, knowing well that they needed the space. The only ones who stayed beside Mario were Peach and Merlon.

"Luigi." Mario tried to slowly inch forward, reaching out to him. "You needed the help..."

"NO I didn't!" Luigi shouted, his voice sounding more frantic ."That was the Mr. L of this timeline- I felt him- he was here, he needed me and- and I..." his voice trailed off, his back hitting the wall before sliding down. "I let him die- he needed my help and I let him die..." Part of him had known this for sometime, though was never brave enough to confront it. But what he didn't realize how close he was to becoming the version of Mr. L that sat in the other room. He didn't even realize that he was involved with the Chaos Heart, he didn't know that thing was inside of him.

"Luigi?" Mr. L stood at the entrance, he didn't need much to understand what was going on. Instinct kicked in and he ran up to him, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around Luigi.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Luigi buried his face into Mr. L's chest. Like the other has done many times before. Luigi could hear Mr. L's heartbeat, and since the shirt he wore was thin- Luigi could also feel the scars.

Mr. L doesn't know how to comfort anybody, though he thinks he's doing an okay job. He looked over at Mario who was also on his knees, he heard the entire conversation from the other side of the room, he should be mad. Not just at him but at Nastasia too. As he figured that's why she wouldn't tell him anything. But he was so tired.

Realization then dawned on him, is that why he was kept in that cage? Because of the Chaos Heart? He tried to keep his breath steady, pushing away his own panic at the thought of the Chaos Heart that may be inside of him. Luigi needs him. Even he doesn't know how to help.

"The Chaos Heart is known to only destroy." Merlon began, he was rambling to himself. Mr. L looked up from Luigi.

"What in the name of all things that are sccred are you talking about, you old fart?" Mr. L didn't have the time for this, and if he did. He would still say no. He's done with the Chaos Heart. He's done with all of this.

"Only a select few knows that the Chaos Heart has more than one ability..." Merlon continued, not even paying attention to others. Peach sat in the corner. Too stunned to move.

"What else, could it do?" Peach found her voice, though small. Merlon continued to stare into nothing.

"Just like the Pure Hearts, the Chaos Heart can create too. Though it only creates life where it could only know suffering...and like a great power such as the pure hearts..." Merlon trailed off, he remained frozen before he began to reluctantly turn his head to face the brothers. "Luigi, I am sorry. I have a confession too..."

End of Chapter

A/N: Remember that I post two chapters a day, even though I uploaded a chapter this morning, the status for the story didn't update, and I don't think it sends out an notification when it does that. I think the status will update when I post this chapter. It happened with Koops Ye Olde Pub too, the status only updated every other chapter that is published. Ugh. I can't wait until I get my invitation for Archive of Our Own, so I can start posting there too.


	18. Chapter 18

" _What's happening outside!"_

 _"It's okay, it's just a meteor shower."_

 _"Woah, that's a meteor shower?! I knew what it was, I just didn't expect to actually see one."_

 **Chapter Eighteen: Honesty**

About four years ago, Merlon stood in his home. News of the Void finally closing brought joy and relief amongst the citizens of Flipside. The Light Prognosticus could finally be closed and locked away for the next adventure. He felt peace settle inside of his being, as he knows that he may now rest.

Yet, something in the back of his mind was constantly buzzing. Something didn't feel right. Doubt began to creep into his thoughts, nothing had seemed to have gone right during this adventure, so why stop now?

Merlon didn't even flinch when a new portal opened up in the center of his floor. It stayed there, the swirling black, purple and even yellow abyss looked intimidating enough, and the effects had shined on his features. He had seen many portals open up before, and he knew that this portal was for him.

Without much thought, he grabbed the book that he vowed to protect, but before he could leave. The portal swallowed him.

...

The Underwhere was quiet, usually the hustle of spirits kept the grim and dark place lively. So to hear nothing was jarring. He had visited the Underwhere before, he knew the royal family well and now understood that the portal was from a familiar source, and that they only call for his presence when he is needed.

So without fear of judgement, Merlon entered the shrine of Jaydees. There, he continued on past the door to the Overthere, until he stopped at the throne.

He walked up to a beautifully stitched tapestry, an identical one hung from the other side of the throne. But this one was special, with a wave of his hand the tapestry moved to the side. Revealing a door.

"We must stop meeting under these circumstances." He said casually, closing the door behind him. In the center of the new room stood Jaydees and Grambi. He sighed, feeling their solemn energy from across the room.

"As you know." Jaydees began, immediately getting down to business, never being the one for pleasantries. "With something as powerful as the Chaos Heart... I expect to receive at least a shadow of it upon it's destruction."

"Ah. Yes." Merlon sighed. "As something as powerful enough to create the Void. It would have the ability to comprehend and react to basic emotions. Therefore it would have some sort of spirit. I know." He paused, not liking where this is going. "What seems to be the problem, your highness?"

"I have not received it."

Merlon was frozen in his spot, it took him a moment to find his voice again. "The Chaos Heart?"

Grambi nodded, finally speaking up. Merlon noted that he sounded off probably exhausted from almost witnessing the end of the world and loosing a child. "Indeed, thine Chaos Heart hath not returned ..."

"Then the fight isn't over yet? Shall I fetch the heroes?" Merlon asked, deciding to not panic in front of the two most powerful beings of this world.

Jaydees raised a hand, with a smile spreading across her features. It was jarring. He never seen her smile. "You need to do no such thing. We have already located it, and we decided that the Chaos Heart is no longer a threat."

Both Jaydees and Grambi moved over, to reveal that they were previously standing in front of a large mirror. A image began to ripple across the surface, revealing the spectrum of light and magic that just sat below the surface. Merlon knew what it was, it was more of a looking glass than a mirror. But he had never seen one of this size. If it wasn't for the conflict at hand he would spend all day admiring it, he always discovers something new and extraordinary every time he visits this dimension.

"The Chaos Heart is currently dormant." Jaydees began, raising her hand to touch the surface of the mirror. It rippled under her touch. "Though it could in theory be awakened. It feeds mostly off of negative emotions, but it would take a lot to truly awaken it..."

The mirror rippled until it formed a image, of a party. Merlon recognized it. It was the one he excused himself from earlier this evening. The mirror then found what it was looking for, focusing on a lonely figure. Jaydees continues. "But for now, it sleeps. Inside of it's chosen host. I have seen it with other hosts before, but for some reason it had grown very attached to this poor boy. So much so that it refuses to leave. So it's best that it stays there. "

"If it's not a threat, then why tell me this?" Merlon couldn't help but to ask. Usually the King and Queen of life aren't the kind of people to share something like this.

"Because we learned not to underestimate you, Merlon" Jaydees smiled again, and he determined that the simple gesture was enough to intimidate him more than anything she could do to be threatening. "We knew that you would figure it out and go to warn the heroes. But this is something that should not concern them, at least not anymore. So we ask you to keep this a... secret."

"But what of the boy?" Merlon understood the importance of secrets, although something like this would be too much. "He has the right to know what is right under his own flesh."

"The boy has the right to move on with his life." Jaydees had cut him off again with another wave of her hand. "There is no reason to giving him anymore grief."

"If you truly believe that this is best for him, then I will keep this to myself." Merlon reluctantly agreed, bowing his head to the royals.

"Then just like any other well kept secret." Jaydees crossed her arms. "It shall be buried in the sands of time..." She quickly turned after she finished her sentence, her shoulders shaking slightly as if she was either suppressing a sob or a laugh. She nodded to Grambi and the pair left.

Merlon remained silent, frozen in his spot. Refusing to look at the image that the mirror had shown him. That lonely man sitting in the corner while the rest of his peers move on with their lives.

It's a face that will forever haunt him.

...

"That thing is still inside of me?!"

Luigi shouted, standing up from the floor. Both Mario and Mr. L flinched at the sudden and violent movement. Luigi saw that Merlon was continuing to talk to him, but he couldn't hear anything. His ears were ringing, and the world around him became muffled. His heart continued to pound to where it's starting to become painful. The sensation was begging to become overwhelming, Luigi didn't think twice about running out of the room at full speed.

"Luigi! Stop!" Mario jumped to his feet and running after him. Leaving Mr. L, Merlon and Peach alone.

Mr. L finally stood up himself, ready to go after Luigi too. But Merlon grabbed his arm. "Let them sort it out..." Merlon said. Mr. L froze at the contact, the memory of an equally cold hand resurfaced. He shivered at the memory, blocking it out before finding the strength to snatch his arm out of Merlon's grip. He stayed, for once listening to his elders.

Mr. L stood by the entrance next to Merlon. Though not standing too close to him. He began to absentmindedly trace his fingers across a familiar scar that went up his arm. It was shaped like the backwards 'L' on his hat. He never knew why, but he always finds some comfort tracing the symbol. Back when he was kept in the cage, Mr. L would often do just that. It reminded him of his hat, of course. Therefore it reminded him of the home he had lost. He quickly rolled up the sleeve to look at the scar with a frown. He thought it was just a mistake that it just ended up shaped like that. But he thought better of it.

A distant memory surfaced.

...

'Mr. L had just finished the wrist components of Brobot's new hands. He was feeling very proud of it. Powerful and polarizing magnets kept them afloat, and by controlling them remotely from the main computer in Brobot, they should be a force to be reckon with. He had been buried in the wrists all day, just putting the final touches on them before he presents them to the Count.

Finally, he slid out from under the wrists but didn't expect to see Dimentio standing over him. It instantly startled him, banging his head on the metal. The Jesters weird freaky mask face only smiled wider, clearly enjoying his pain.

"Gah! What the heck do you want?!" Mr. L snapped at him. He got along just fine with the other minions, but not Dimentio. There was just something...off about him.

"Ah, ha. Mr. L." Dimentio practically hummed, clearly enjoying the fact that Mr. L is kind of scared of him. "Just wanted to see what you were doing with that little robotic arts and crafts project." He paused. Looking up at the machine, that smile never leaving. "You know, if you really want to be intimidating. You should remove that giant, comical mustache you insist it has."

"Hey, Brobot is plenty intimidating!" Mr. L growled through gritted teeth. "Now that you've seen my little 'arts and crafts project', why don't you get lost."

Dimentio was silent, and Mr. L felt his stomach twist on the way the Jester just flat out stared at him, his freaky mask cocked to the side like a curious dog.

"Mr. L. Do you know about the symbol that rests upon your hat?" Dimentio asked, floating closer. Mr. L took a step back, uncomfortable with how close the Jester is. But Dimentio didn't catch the subtle 'back off, you creep' reaction. Floating even closer. Mr. L found himself backed against the massive metal hand.

"Well, where I come from." Dimentio began. "Symbols meant a lot to us. But some have a more...ah... Important meaning. Like the one on your hat." He paused floating upside down. Though his eyes never left Mr. L. "It means, 'to open.' But not like a physical door, or a book. Like to open your mind... or your heart." Dimentio made a grand gesture with his hands, letting sparks appear. "You see, Magic heavily relies on symbols like that... Like masks, even the ugly one you're wearing. They mean something too. But it's just simply saying 'to hide away." Dimentio laughed. "So what you're wearing simply means 'that your open heart is hidden away.' Fascinating. Isn't it?"

"It's just a backwards 'L', there's no symbol." Mr. L replied flatly. Crossing his arms. "I just thought it looked cool."

"You stumble through your everyday life like a boorish caveman, and yet you wear a very powerful symbol." Dimentio's smile managed to grow even wider. "You're quite the enigma, Mr. L. Maybe there's some hope for you yet..."

"You're just being nasty because you know I'm going to destroy the heroes first before all of you." Mr. L taunted, before finally reluctantly using his hands to push Dimentio away.

"Maybe you will..." Dimentio said as he started to float back, giving Mr. L the space that he desired. "Ah yes, maybe you will..."

"Whatever." Mr. L called up to him. "Now go be creepy somewhere else, I got things to do!"

...

The memory faded, and Mr. L couldn't stand to look at that scar anymore. Leaving Merlon at the entrance. He told himself again that the Dimentio from his world is long gone. Where he belongs.

He then found Peach, still in her respected chair and decided to stay with her instead. Merlon was starting to make him feel uncomfortable, and the need to be near the Princess was overwhelming. Like he needed to protect his new friend.

"Two Chaos Hearts..." Peach mumbled, fingers gently rubbing her temples. "This is too much." She looked up at Mr. L who sat across her. She knew that familiar look of guilt. Mario often wore it now when he thinks of how he lied to Luigi. She reached across the table to gently take his hand. "This isn't your fault."

"Feels like it.." Mr. L sighed, trying not to look at Merlon. "I shouldn't have come to this timeline... It would've been better.."

Peach shook her head. "Don't think for a second that you're not meant to be here. You landed in this world for a reason." She patted his hand. "You're our family now, Mr. L. You're worth fighting for."

Mr. L laughed, shaking his head. Avoiding eye contact to hide the fact that his eyes were a little misty. "Heh.." He shook his head. "Mario is one lucky fellow."

"What do you mean by that?" Peach asked, eyebrows raised in confusion.

Mr. L shook his head, smiling at her confused expression. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, whatever you say." Peach returned the smile. "Thank you for picking our branch of time."

"Thank you for being my friend." Mr. L returned the expression. Feeling a little better about the situation at hand. Maybe they do have a chance against Dimentio after all.

"Yes." Merlon said, reminding the two that he was still there. "Our paths are meant to cross, as if Lady Luck has her love for the victors and the ruthless."

"Yeah." Mr. L half-heartily agreed. "Whatever the heck that means, Merlon."

Silence.

"Merlon?"

Mr. L turned to see that Merlon had disappeared. Confused he stood up, instincts practically yelling at him to grab the Princess and run. He went around the table to stand next to her. Since she is still in her chair, and since it was one of those rolling office chairs. He was ready to grab the back of it and haul ass out of there with Peach in tow.

"Merlon? Where the heck are you, you old fart?! We don't have the time to play hide and go seek." Mr. L shouted at the empty room. Peach remained frozen in her chair, picking up the strange tension in the air. Mr. L felt a sudden presence behind him.

"Ah, ha, ha..."

"M- Merlon..?" Mr. L forced himself to turn around to face whoever is behind him.

End of Chapter


	19. Chapter 19

" _It took us some digging, but we actually found the original draft."_

 _"Original draft of what? What did you find?"_

 _"Unroll it and find out yourself, Sal."_

 **Chapter 19: Unforgivable**

The labyrinth that was what's left of Bleck's Castle was still just as confusing as Mario remembered. But by some miracle, he somehow found Luigi on the roof of part of the castle that was still standing. The oldest had been here once before, the castle roof was still just as creepy.

Luigi was standing behind a pillar. Hands covering his face. He was hunched over, leaning against the tower.

"Luigi!" Mario finally caught up to him, he stopped to catch his breath. "Please, just let me explain!" Mario grabbed his arm when Luigi tried to leave again.

"Don't touch me!" Luigi snapped, his voice low, almost like a growl. But Mario wouldn't let go. He knew that Luigi could be more reasonable, so he kept trying. He didn't give up on his baby brother before, so he isn't going to stop now.

"You were in so much pain! I didn't know what to do- I didn't want to see you get hurt anymore." Mario begged, not caring about how weak he sounds. But the younger brother managed to twist his arm out of the others grip.

In this broken state of mind, Luigi couldn't really hear him. His heart was pounding too hard and loud in his ears. It was like he was trapped in this inconsolable state of existence. It made him shake, it made his surroundings spin.

"Luigi, please..." Mario begged. "I just wanted to help you...I didn't know how much this would effect you..." Mario took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice level. "Please, Luigi. Please listen to me... Why can't you just listen?!"

The quickly growing pain in his chest continued to blossom until Luigi found himself gasping for air. Yet this thing that was inside of him still remained...hungry. It whispered to him, confirming every doubt he ever had about Mario throughout this ordeal.

"No.. You listen...to me." Luigi finally looked at his brothers face, as his own, final conclusions dawned on him. Mario got too close to the dog, so how dare he ask why he got bitten.

"Mario... Can't you see... I... I don't think I can trust you any- anymore..."

He lost him... He lost Luigi.

Mario gasped, feeling as if someone yanked the carpet out from under him. Every fear that he was reluctant to approach came spiraling out of control. But it wasn't his emotions that somehow physically threw him backwards, it was a sudden wave of powerful energy that came from Luigi.

Luigi fell to his knees with an agonizing scream, clawing at his chest to try to make it go away. The ripple of energy distorted Mario's vision of him.

"Luigi! No!" Mario got to his knees. He wanted to reach out to him, but the ripple of energy was too much for him to get through. He was too late.

From Luigi's body a familiar presence took shape before rising above him. Mario looked on in horror, as his failures had taken a physical form.

The Chaos Heart.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha..."

Laughter soon filled the air starting low before turning hysterical, but it didn't come from any of the brothers. There, standing on the tower was Merlon. Mario narrowed his eyes. "Merlon?! What are you doing?"

Merlon looked down at Mario, hands clasped together. Behind him was a cloudy bubble, where Peach and a petrified Mr. L were kept.

"Ah, dear hero in red." Merlon began to rise from the pillar. Arms raised in the air. "It seems that you have been fooled by...Magic!"

"What the heck are you talking about?" Mario shouted, Luigi didn't move. He was limp, with the only thing holding him up is the grip that the Chaos Heart has over him.

"Dear hero, behold!" Merlon began to spin in midair. "For I am the King of Magic! The Master of Dimensions! Your future...Overlord!" Merlon disappeared in a cloud of smoke. In place of him a familiar figure took form. He raised his arms in the air again, with a flair. For one has to be proud with that kind of stylish entrance.

"I am, Dimentio!"

Immediately Mario jumped up to attack him, but a sudden charge of electricity caused him to fall back. He looked up, there hovered Luigi. Blocking him from attacking Dimentio. But Mario knew that that was not Luigi anymore.

Luigi's eyes were missing, replaced with a swirl of grey and black. The Chaos Heart inside of him caused his body to glow, and a thick grey mist to surround his body. Lightning crackled around the hand that was held up. Still, he tried to call up to him anyway.

"Luigi!" Mario screamed again, but the Chaos Heart only cocked his head to the side. His cold, empty expression never changed. Instead he let out another burst of lightning that Mario barely had the time to dodge. He fell backwards, his back hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Dimentio floated down with his three captives. He knelt next to Mario so he was face to face with the fallen hero. "He can't hear you.." Dimentio practically sang. "My performances of illusion and deceit are a grandiose facade. As I had played the king, the queen and even an old fool! But you? The web of lies that you entrapped your poor brother in are something to be admired." He stepped back with another round of laughter. "Unfortunately, you won't live to see the birth of the new world. But I will build a statue in your honor. It's the least I could do..."

Dimentio and the Chaos Heart returned to the air. But Dimentio stopped, as if he remembered something. He turned to the bubble that contained Mr. L and Peach. "Don't think I haven't forgotten about you... that wouldn't be fair to favor one sibling over the other. I'm not a monster." He hovered closer to the bubble, Mr. L couldn't move back. But Peach could. She made several attempts to break the seal with her fists. But it only served to further entertain the magician.

Dimentio turned back to Luigi, he raised a had in the air. "Luigi, my dear. You know what to do. I'll be back, I have... Some business to attend to..." With that Dimentio and the bubble disappeared in a flash of light.

The Chaos Heart wasted no time, raising Luigi's hands in the air. Above him the Void quickly took shape, rapidly growing in size. Mario looked away, as the door leading to the room slammed open. Nastasia was the first one to run out.

"Mario, Dimentio locked us out- I don't know how he did it. But we couldn't..." She looked up with a gasp at the sight of the Chaos Heart and the Void. "Oh, Luigi...oh no."

Nastasia snapped her attention back to Mario. "Where's Mr. L?!"

"Dimentio took him..."

Nastasia took a step back, feeling uneasy on her feet. "Where? Where is he?!"

"I don't know..." Mario refused to look at her. Feeling too guilty to look at anyone. "He took Peach too...I don't know where they went."

Nastasia could only stare at the Void. Feeling just as lost herself.

...

Dimension D wasn't as vibrant like it used to be. It reminded Peach of dead grass and rot. The energy that it used to contain wasn't as strong as it once was. It shows her that Dimentio isn't as strong as he acts. Right now. She doesn't know how long this will last, so they have to act fast. She doesn't say anything though. She could only watch as Dimentio circled around Mr. L.

"My...my... The other me did a wonderful job breaking you." Dimentio laughed, leaning in closer to Mr. L's face. "Not even an sarcastic quip? Or an insult? Wow." His finger dragged down his back, over the scars. "And I still have my perfect handwriting. As usual. I wouldn't expect anything less from myself."

Dimentio crossed his legs, looking as if he was sitting on an invisible chair. Mr. L remained in his spot, too afraid of what Dimentio would do if he tried to run away.

"You know, other than those little instructions. There's also a story carved into your skin." Dimentio began, resting the back of his head on his hands. "It's a story my mother used to tell me at bedtime. Oh, it was so long ago. But it was one of my favorites..."

"Once upon a time..." Dimentio began. "There was a little bird, who was flying from an arrow, and no matter how hard he flapped his wings, or how high he soared in the air." Dimentio raised a hand, and a small bird made from mist took form in his palm. It's wings flapping hard as it flys for it's life. "The arrow would always be just behind him, and throughout the lands the bird would travel to. The arrow would leave nothing but destruction in it's wake." The bird in his hand continued to fly, and Peach and Mr. L watched helplessly as the arrow continued to case it.

Dimentio smiled, as the bird began to grow weak. "But what the bird didn't know, was that the arrow was tied to his tail feathers.. by string." Finally the bird in his palm began to fly slower, growing tied of the chase. "Until the day the bird accepts his fate, the arrow would chase him." His fist suddenly slammed shut. Destroying the image of the bird and arrow, causing Mr. L to flinch. "Forever."

Peach stood up with a huff. "I had enough of this madness. We defeated you before and we can certainly do it again; and we won't stop fighting until both of the Chaos Hearts are destroyed and you're locked away."

With this, Dimentio began to laugh harder. Harshly slamming his palm against Mr. L's back. "She thinks it's that easy. Doesn't she know that there's a life on the line?!"

"What...what do you mean by- by that...?" Mr. L stammered, his body shaking. He avoided talking to Dimentio until he is spoken to first. But he had to know.

"Oh, Mr. L. You don't know either. Poor boy. Too bad the other me isn't here to witness this." Dimentio leaned in closer to Mr. L. "It didn't take long for me to find you, as the Chaos Heart beats strongly inside of your chest... but that is the only heart that's beating inside of you."

"Wh...what?" Mr. L whimpered. Eyes widened in horror. Behind him he could hear Peach gasp.

"Oh yes. Mr. L. Remember, this isn't your body..." He leaned in closer. "If you destroy the Chaos Heart. You end your life as well. But as long as that miserable thing beats inside of your chest. You belong... to me."

"No..." Mr. L shook his head, body shaking. "No.. That's not true."

Dimentio suddenly picked him up by the collar of his shirt. Slamming him against the wall. "Are you calling me a liar?!" Mr. L began to rapidly shake his head. The angry contort of Dimentio's mask shaped back into a smile. "Ah, ha, ha, ha.. I did a good job breaking you indeed. But sadly, you're just nothing but a simple back up plan now..." He pulled back with a frown, looking away in deep thought. But his smile quickly returns. "Ah, too bad I that I can't take you with me, it would make my job so much easier." He leaned in so he could whisper in Mr. L's ear. "After all, a broken host is an controllable host."

With that said, Dimentio lets his fingers slip from Mr. L's collar. Making him drop to the ground where he immediately curled up into a ball on his side. Dimentio took a moment to admire his counterparts handiwork before leaving. "I'm going to check on our very angry friend, and since I doubt I'll be seeing you again. I shall bid my...final farewell. Ciao!"

With a flash of light. Dimentio left Peach and Mr. L in Dimension D. Leaving them to morn the loss of everything they both hold close to their hearts.

End of Chapter

A/N: When I was writing the original stories. I was really into the musical "Repo! The Genetic Opera." So I wanted Dimentio's story to loosely reference a a song that one of the characters sing called "Chromaggia" which talks about a bird being chased by an arrow that was tied to her wings. Since Mr. L was kept in a cage, and is referenced constantly by him as a trapped bird. The musical is in English, except for that song. So if you want to look it up, you'll have to look up with English lyrics. :) I know, I'm such a dweeb.


	20. Chapter 20

_"I never... traveled like this before. I don't even know what to do."_

 _"It's just a Warp Pipe. You climb in and let it take you where you need to go."_

 _"I know... It's just."_

 _"It's okay. I know it could be a little scary. But I'm here, I promise I won't let anything happen to you, Sal."_

 **Chapter 20: Not broken. Just Lost.**

The Void continues to grow.

"It's chunkin' time!" O'Chunks shouts, before jumping as high as he could to punch out the Chaos Heart. But with a flick of his hand, Luigi sent the giant back to the ground. Despite their best efforts, the Chaos Heart inside of Luigi remained in place.

"Brute force is nothing to that thing." Merlee sighed. "It's going to take a lot of magic to destroy it."

"And get Luigi back." Mario snapped at Merlee. Feeling just as exhausted and weak as O'Chunks. After Dimentio had disappeared with Mr. L and Peach in tow. What remained of the heroes immediately started fighting Luigi.

"We may not have magic on our side, but we have science!" A new voice caused Mario to jump. He turned to see E. Gadd and one of his ghost companions.

"Elvin?!" Mario quickly approached the older man. "It is way too dangerous. What the heck are you doing here?"

"I saw the massive black hole in the sky." E. Gadd began. "Everyone is panicking at home. I figured that this had something to do with what happened last time. So I made my way over here." The older man seemed proud of himself.

Mario sighed, crossing his arms. "I'm sorry, but I think you came all the way out here for nothing. Luigi is possessed by the Chaos Heart and he's impossible to get to."

"That I know. I have done plenty of research on this Chaos Heart." Gadd stopped to adjust his glasses. "But I have a theory that would get rid of both of our problems, and though you think it may not be a simple task. I present to you..." He paused, pulling out a sheet of paper that contains what Mario could only describe as a sea mathematical gibberish. "Physics!"

Silence.

The Professor lowered the paper with a sigh. "Where is Mr. L? I know that only another brilliant mind could appreciate this beaut of a theory!"

Mario shook his head, looking away from him. "I'm sorry, he's gone too. Dimentio took him and Peach."

It was E. Gadd's turn to feel let down. Disappointed that he can't share his genius revelations with the mechanic. "Then I guess I can try to explain it to you." He paused, glancing at the paper for a final time before throwing it behind him with a huff. "The Chaos Heart is a powerful, unstoppable force of nature. Yes? Of course, and the Void has it's own immovable center."

"An unstoppable force meets an immovable object." Nastasia gasped. "I remember that Mr. L used to use that as a metaphor for Blumiere and the Heroes."

"So if we manage to push the Chaos Heart into to the Void. The two conflicting forces should collapse on top of each other." E. Gadd finished the explanation. "But they have to be of equal force, so we don't have much time before the Void gets too big."

"So all we need to do is to push him in the void." Merlee clapped her hands. "Oh, that shall work. Perfectly, we don't have to hit him. We just got to have enough force to push him in..."

"Hey!" Mario snapped at Merlee again. "You keep forgetting that my brother is up there! We have to get him back before we could do that!"

More of that horrendous silence fell between the group. Finally, Nastasia reluctantly approached Mario.

"That's... not Luigi... Anymore." Nastasia didn't look up from her shoes, standing next to Mario to rest her hand on his arm. "He's too far gone. The Chaos Heart eventually consumes the host. I'm sorry Mario..."

Mario shook his head. "No. Luigi is still in there. I know he is. I have to keep trying." He snatched his arm away from Nastasia. "I have to try..." He has to. He owed Luigi that.

Nastasia tried to stop Mario, but Gadd grabbed her hand. "Miss. Let him try. Or he's going to spend the rest of his life wondering if he could do something." He said, before letting go of her. "Trust me. We have time... Let him say goodbye."

Nastasia nodded, but turning away from the display. O'Chunks bowed his head in respect, followed by Mimi.

Mario quickly spotted a tower, topped with a flag pole. He didn't take much time before reaching the top of the tower. Then climbing to the top of the flagpole. Getting as close to Luigi as possible.

Despite his constant denial, Mario understood that this may be his last chance. So he has to make it count. Not for him, but for Luigi.

...

Meanwhile in Dimension D. Peach was struggling to comfort Mr. L. She knew that Luigi was the only one to really get to him. But she has to try. Mr. L was her friend and it broke her heart to see him like this. She resorted to laying down next to him. To where they were face to face.

"Mr. L?" She reached out to remove a stray hair from his face. "Sweetie, there's got to be a way to get out of here."

Mr. L shook his head, eyes squeezed shut. "No way out... No way out..."

Peach grabbed his hands, prying them away from his chest. "Mr. L, open your eyes. Please?"

Mr. L shook his head again. She narrowed her eyes. "I can't imagine what you're going through. But I need you to stay here with us, we need your help."

Mr. L tried to curl up further, but Peach wouldn't let go of his hands. He's shutting down, she realizes. But Peach was never the one to give up easily.

"You're the strongest person I know." Peach whispered. "Your strength is something to admire, and we need that now. We need you, Mr. L."

Mr. L didn't budge, though his shivering had began to slow down. Peach knew that he was listening to her. She just needs to keep talking. Even though she just doesn't know what to say. Luigi was always the one to get him to focus, but he isn't here. Nobody is here. The memory of her friends faces surfaced, but the one she chose to focus on was Mario.

"Can I tell you something?" Peach whispered, inching a little closer as if she was too afraid of anyone else hearing. "I think I'm in love with Mario." She didn't wait for a response, she had opened the floodgate, and now she couldn't stop. "I think he feels the same, but I'm not entirely sure. All of this is so new to me, and it's a little scary. But I did catch what you had said earlier. About Mario being a lucky fellow." She laughed, in spite of the situation. "But to tell you the truth. I think I'm the lucky one."

She paused. Although Mr. L's eyes are still squeezed shut. His breathing had leveled out. She had to keep going. Her mind drifted back to the massive party on New Years. "But I'm not the only lucky one. My very good friend seemed to be very lucky too. I saw you getting really close to Pauline over at the fountain."

Pauline. That was her name. The face of that angel that has been haunting him finally had a name. Mr. L finally cracked open his eyes, finding himself face to face with the Princess. Her own eyes sparkled. "There you are." Her voice cracked, relieved to see Mr. L sound of mind once again.

Mr. L managed a weak smile, slowly uncurling his body. "Pauline...? Her...name is..." He shook his head. Feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry about- about all of this. I was supposed to protect you." He wanted to say more. But Peach stopped him.

"Listen, our family needs us. They've got nothing against Dimentio. The Pure Hearts are powerless to stop the void." Peach sat up, Mr. L slowly followed suit. His body still somewhat stiff.

"You know Dimentio better than all of us." Peach whispered, using both of her thumbs to wipe the tears off of his cheeks. "There has got to be a way out of here."

Mr. L pressed his palms against his forehead, closing his eyes again. He took a moment to rapidly dig into his memory for some sort of solution. The way he bared his teeth made the Princess believe that he was about to have another panic attack until he suddenly got to his feet. Dragging his hands against the walls.

"Back door..." Mr. L began to pace the room. His mind making rapid calculations. "With everything Dimentio does, he always has a back door. That's how he makes most of his dramatic entrances. He has back doors everywhere. That's why he was so successful with.." He trailed off, choosing not to think of that. Instead he focused on getting himself and the Princess out of here. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve, pushing past the need to curl up and give up. He has a job to do.

Peach looked around the room. "Well, unless there's a physical back door. I don't think we can get out. Neither of us knows how to jump dimensions."

"My dear, you and Luigi don't know how to jump dimensions." Mr. L smirked. "I on the other hand, do. It was required of all Minions to understand how and to memorize a ton of different coordinates." He took Peach by the hand. Pulling her close. "It's been awhile, and I can only really make a rift big enough for me to jump through."

"But what about Brobot?" Peach recalled. "If I remember correctly, you acted on your own the last time we fought."

"I built a dimension hopper for Brobot." Mr. L smiled at the memory of his giant metal brother. "That's where most of the science behind the machine I built to get to this Timeline. If I had to make a rift big enough to fit a two ton machine. I wouldn't have enough energy to squash those Heroes." He paused, before giving Peach a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"It's okay." She smiled back. "We kicked your butt anyway." He laughed, before raising his hand at a wall.

He closed his eyes again, his mind projecting the image of them leaving this dimension. Mr. L's chest and hand began to tingle, as this strange electricity rumbled just under his skin. Beside him he heard Peach gasp, but he couldn't concentrate on her. Finally, the tingling stopped, causing him to drop his arm as the overwhelming sensation suddenly left. Feeling accomplished with not feeling so drained like he used to be. He opened his eyes, the sight in front of him made his stomach drop.

There standing in front of them stood not a simple rip in between dimensions. But a door. A large door, similar to the ones in Castle Bleck. Except in the center sat a large carving of the Chaos Heart. A grey light pulsed under the carving.

"Merlon couldn't even summon doors." Peach regained her composure. "He had to wait for the Pure Heart to open up the next dimension for us... How did you do this?!"

Mr. L stared down at his hands, inspecting them for anything different. Slowly he looked up from his open palms to the Princess. "Peach... I don't that was just me..."

She took a step forward, taking his hands and giving them a reassuring squeeze. "I guess you're not as broken and easily controllable as Dimentio thought..." Peach smiled, watching his expression turned from confusion, to fear, to finally relief.

Mr. L took a moment to stare down at his hands, before looking back up at Peach. His face twisted with determination and a fire that Peach hadn't seen in Mr. L since she and the others fought him in space. She then figured out what that fire was.

It was anger.

"I know how to stop Dimentio." Mr. L's open palms turned into fists. "I know how to end all of this."

"What are we going to do?" Peach asked.

With a wave of his hand, the door swung open. Revealing a swirling vortex of black and green. Harsh winds caused his hair, his shirt and Peach's skirt to ripple in the breeze. Unafraid of the doorway in front of him, he turned back to take Peach's hand.

"We play his stupid little game."

Without hesitation, they ran through the threshold. Slamming the door behind them with a loud bang, after they left the doors lock clicked. Quickly the door itself unraveled and faded into nothing.

Leaving Dimension D to continue to rot.

End of Chapter

A/N: Things are getting really heated. Mr. L isn't messing around, and now he has the bite to back up his bark. Wee.


	21. Chapter 21

" _Sal, you're a genius!"_

 _"Yes. I know. No need to remind me."_

 _"Remind me not to inflate your ego again."_

 _"Ha. No. I won't."_

 **Chapter 21: The String Is Broken**

Mario's grip on the flag pole was so tight, that his arm was shaking. The breeze that was emanating from the Void felt like it was trying to rip off his mustache. It made his eyes sting trying to stare up at his brother.

The Chaos Heart had twisted Luigi's body to protect the void. His arms and legs were spread out like a human meat shield. It was the Chaos Heart's way of reveling in it's victory. Mario glared up at the sight, not caring how the heavy winds and harsh light made his eyes burn.

"Luigi!"

Mario's grip suddenly went limp, causing him to slide about a foot before he caught himself and climbed back up. His muscles began to burn at the strain. But he pressed on.

"Luigi!" Mario called again, Luigi continued to stare off into nothing. It reminded Mario of the statues that decorated Peach's castle, cold and lifeless. But he ignored it. His brother is in there somewhere. He just has to keep going.

"Listen please, I know that you're angry. But this isn't you anymore, this is the Chaos Heart. So I need you to listen."

Mario was suddenly cut off when he had to suddenly dodge a strong blast of magic. But his grip on the flag pole was stronger. Dimentio floated up to him. Arms casually crossed behind his back. He leaned in, as if he was analyzing some small and weak creature.

"Look at you, hanging on to your precious brother. It's sad really." He floated closer when Mario instinctively tilted his head away. It was difficult to be near Dimentio. It was like he puts off this uncomfortable electric field that makes your stomach turn. When he first encountered the masked creature. He couldn't describe the energy that Dimentio constantly projected. But now he knows, after everything Mr. L had scarcely talked about his time with him, after witnessing the scars, the panic attacks and nightmares. After seeing him again after years of constantly pushing this face far from his mind. He know what it is.

It was pure evil. It was like Dimentio was made out of pure evil.

Mario somehow dodged another blast of magic. His grip on the flagpole unmoving. Dimentio floated back, raising his hands in the air. Conjuring up the largest sphere of energy he had ever seen.

"And now." Dimentio's voice boomed over the harsh wind that rippled through his robes. "It has been fun, hero in red. But I'm afraid that your time is up!"

"I don't think so!"

Dimentio was knocked when a equally impressive sphere of dark energy that only the Chaos Heart is known for knocks the wind out of him. Dimentio spun out of control until he found his balance again. Mask twisting into an angry, almost deformed frown he looked down to see who had dared to strike him. He spotted who it was and the mask turned back into a smile. Grabbing Mario's face, he twisted his head to look down what Dimentio was so amused about. The madman began to cackle.

"Look at that, Mario!" He pointed down to the ground. "My little bird's feathers are all puffed up!"

Mr. L stood down below, trying his best to look fearless. But Mario knew better, he could see though the mask of bravery that Mr. L desperately clung on to. No wonder why Dimentio found it so amusing.

"Awe, look. He's trying to flap his wings." Dimentio lets go of Mario's face. Clasping his hands together. "He's trying to fly, but I've already clipped his wings."

"I'll show you a Grambi-be-dammed bird." Mr. L bared his teeth. Body glowing in a similar dark mist like Luigi. Before Dimentio could respond, Mr. L braced himself. Leaning forward to concentrate his newfound energy to the heart shaped scar onto his back. Suddenly the mist that surrounded him began to spark and gather at his shoulder blades taking the form of feathers. Green lightning held the dark grey feathers together, finally taking the shape of wings.

"Have at you." Mr. L glared up, letting the mist also form a black mask onto his face. Before Dimentio could react, Mr. L took to the air. Colliding into the jester at full force. Knocking him away from Mario and Luigi.

Instead of watching Mr. L fight Dimentio. Mario chose to continue to focus on Luigi, seeing that this was his last chance.

"Luigi, please..." Mario felt a lump form in his throat. Maybe he just needs to accept that his brother is gone, Mario shook his head at the revelation. Denial pushing it back down once more. But his mind is spinning, there's only so many times he could say sorry. Maybe Luigi couldn't even hear him anymore.

Maybe the Chaos Heart was too powerful this time.

"Luigi." Mario finally lowered his head, defeated. "I did this to you, this is all my fault." He was rambling, no one could hear him. He knew that. "But the truth is, I still need you. I couldn't do this alone and the thought of losing you..." Mario didn't bother stop the stream of tears that came down his cheeks, not caring who would see him. "I'm scared, Luigi. I'm so scared."

A very old memory surfaced.

...

Outside of the Segale home, there was a vicious thunderstorm that disrupted the usual nightlife here in Brooklyn, a storm that is common during the summer time. Lightning flashed through the windows, creating sinister looking shadows across the furniture and the few toys that the young Segale Brothers own.

In his bed, a very young Luigi hid under his blanket. Lightning flashed and the youngest squealed again.

"Luigi?" A small voice came from the twin bed next to him. Mario may have been two years older at the age of eight, and should have a room of his own. But there wasn't much space in this tiny two bedroom apartment that their parents own. Not like it bothered him. He couldn't even think to leave his baby brother alone. Especially during storms.

"Luigi. It's just thunder and lightning." Mario rolled over to face the large bundle of quivering sheets. A tiny face poked through, eyes watery.

"Bu- but what if it gets me?" Luigi squeaked back. The six year old yelped again when another crash of thunder rattled the window.

"We're inside." Mario sighed. "It can't get us and Mama and Papa wouldn't let it in."

Luigi shook his head. "It could open a window. I can see it. It has a scary face."

Mario sat up, looking at the window. Lightning flashed again but it only caused shadows to grow slightly bigger before going back to normal.

The twin beds that they have are just too small for them to share one. A few years ago Luigi would've been able to just crawl into bed with him. But they're just too old for that. Usually Mario would just push the beds together, but the small table that sat in between them was too heavy. That and Mama wouldn't like them rearranging their room.

Instead Mario just reached across the gap between the beds. "Luigi, I'm here. You don't need to be scared because I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Luigi poked his face out from under the blankets. His hand shooting out to take Mario's. "Promise?"

"Promise." Mario smiled, squeezing Luigi's hand to reassure him.

...

Luigi remained silent, staring out into nothing. All that greeted Mario was the sounds of Mr. L and Dimentio fighting and the Void. He looked away, the idea that he has to say goodbye was just too much.

"Mario?"

His eyes snapped open, looking up at Luigi to see that his brother was looking back. His eyes were still glowing, but Mario could recognize the wide eyed look that Luigi would give him when he needed him. Without saying another word, Mario gave himself another chance, reaching out to Luigi for the final time.

This time Luigi took his hand.

There was a flash of bright white, Luigi's eyes returned to normal before rolling into the back of his head. Leaving Mario to grip onto the flagpole with one arm and a barely conscious Luigi with the other. Despite the horrible strain on his body, Mario felt a great wave of relief and joy wash over him.

Slowly, so he wouldn't harm Luigi. Mario carefully slid down the flagpole. When they reached the ground, Luigi stood for a minute, before collapsing into Mario's arms. Carrying Luigi down from the tower, the others ran over to greet them.

"You did it!" Merlee gasped. "I thought he was too far gone." Mario took a knee, adjusting Luigi to where he was more comfortable before sitting down fully. Just as exhausted himself.

"Of course." Mario gasped, Luigi tried to pick up his head to address Merlee but removing the Chaos Heart on his own had weakened him. Mario glared up at Merlee, clearly still angry that she suggested to push his brother into the Void. "I would never give up my brother for anything."

"Mario?" Luigi's voice was only a whisper. Mario frowned, he didn't look very good right now. But after he just went through, of course he's going to look terrible. Mario told himself that he's going to be fine. That this nightmare is almost over. Luigi sighed. "I'm sorry..."

"No." Mario shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just glad you heard me. I don't know why, but you did."

"Of course I did." Luigi smiled up at him. "I love you."

"Love you too, bro." Mario laughed, pulling Luigi closer to squeeze him tight.

Suddenly two very heavy gusts of wind past through the group. Which brought Mario's attention away from Luigi. He smiled wider to see that Peach had ran up to them to see if they're okay. He sighed in relief, knowing that she was here too, and that his family is safe.

There was another loud explosion in the air near the Void, causing Mimi to shout at the fight. "Kick his ass, Mr. L!"

"Yes! Give that wee little man a good chunkin'." O'Chunks shouted up at the display, picking up Mimi and placing her on his shoulder. Nastasia stood next to them, silently watching alongside with them.

"Crush him!" E. Gadd called out. Happy to see that there is hope after all. "Break him down to nothing but basic molecules!"

They flew by again, this time Dimentio had summoned thick, unruly vines that disrupted the ground beneath them. They twitched, and slithered around like snakes. Despite the poor attempt to intimidate them, they continued to cheer Mr. L on. No longer afraid of the madman.

Dimentio turned to see that the Chaos Heart was still floating by the Void. Just as powerful as before, the angry twisted frown that he wore turned into a smile. "Ah. So Lady Luck shines through once again."

Mr. L tried to stop him from taking the Chaos Heart, but a stray piece of paper latched onto his ankle. He quickly picked it up, pouring over what he would call mathematical poetry. It didn't take him long to understand that this was from E. Gadd, telling him what he needed to do to stop this.

Dropping the paper he looked up to see that Dimentio had taken on new form.

He could feel his stomach drop.

Dimentio had grown larger and he became more ghost like. His body was nothing but mist save for his hands and mask. It was the same mask that had haunted him for years. Despite having all this great power, Mr. L felt weak and useless once again. Felt like he was still trapped in that cage.

He couldn't help it, he screamed.

End of Chapter.

A/N: Mr. L and Dimentio fought in a similar way in the original story. (But with more cheese) But now this fight has some more weight to it. They have more history together other than 'hey, remember that one time you killed me? Have at you!' Also, my interpretation of Dimentio kind of scares me a little bit, and I don't scare very easily. You may not feel the same way, but I have to write this thing. I have to get in that things head. Lol


	22. Chapter 22

" _You know, I can never get tired of the sunset..."_

 _"I know, you say that every time we come out here."_

 _"Sorry, I just can't help it. After everything that has happened..."_

 _"It's okay, Salvatore. I'm just teasing you."_

 _"I know, I wouldn't have it any other way_."

 **Chapter 22: The Bird is Free**

Dimentio knew that he had hit a soft spot in Mr. L. Even though the mechanic was physically invincible thanks to the Chaos Heart, he wasn't mentally. It was exactly what he was looking for.

Mr. L was hidden somewhere, possibly behind one of the many towers that remain upright. But Dimentio knew that his broken little bird could hear him.

"Oh, Mr. L. I couldn't help but to notice that there was a dent on your left glove. You wouldn't happen to be missing part of a finger?" He weaved through the towers, smile unwavering. He knew that the others have no choice to helplessly watch down below. They're powerless against him and the only one that could stop him is deathly afraid of him. How delicious.

"I wonder how that happened. Hm?" Dimentio caught a glimpse of feathers. So he was hiding behind one of the towers. The coward. "Did you loose it in a machine? Or did you loose it while trying to escape." He paused, taking the moment to revel in his findings. "Oh, did I send one of my wonderful creations after you? Locked it in a cage with you? Made you fight for my amusement." He paused when he heard fluttering wings. He was right.

Dimentio crossed his arms. "You know, I think I can do better. The other me had brilliant ambitions. Of course." Dimentio flew through a tower, expecting Mr. L to be on the other side. No such luck. It didn't dampen his mood, though. He kept talking. "Luigi's still connected to the Chaos Heart, you know." He laughed even louder. "It's been inside of him for so long, you can't just have it leave completely. The Chaos Heart stains you, like cheaply dyed clothes.

He stopped to look around another corner, even though Mr. L wasn't there, he knew that he was close. He could feel the rapid pounding of his poor pet's heart. "It's clear that the other me had so much fun breaking you. So I know I'm in for a real treat...Hm, I wonder what I could carve into Luigi."

"No!"

Dimentio was suddenly knocked into another tower when Mr. L came out of hiding. The mechanic may be brash in his actions, but Dimentio could still smell the fear that radiated off of him.

Mr. L couldn't stop shaking, he could feel himself begin to shut down but pure adrenaline kept him going. Rage kept him going. He glanced up at the Void, realizing how large it got. This needs to end.

"Awe. The poor bird is crying. How sad." Dimentio continued to smile, despite being pinned down. He knew he was stronger than Mr. L. Dimentio kicked him back in one fluid motion, sending Mr. L into another flag pole.

Mr. L glanced up at the Void again, before looking at Dimentio who raised himself into the air again. He then rested his hand against his chest while his mind calculated what he needed to do to end all of this. These are technically his Chaos Hearts, he is the perfect host. So logically he is still in control of the one Dimentio has. Mr. L glanced down at the people below him, from here he was close enough to see the horror and confusion on their faces. He could see Luigi in Mario's arms, practically dead to the world around him. The sight made that spark of anger return. Dimentio can do anything he wants to him, but absolutely NO ONE messes with Luigi.

Balling his hand into a fist, Mr. L used the flagpole to launch himself after Dimentio.

This is his life, these people are his family. He is not going to let Dimentio take that away again. He's not going to loose everything again.

"This is for Merlon!" Mr. L screamed, punching through the barrier that Dimentio had put up. Shattering it. Dimentio slipped from Mr. L's grip. Desperately trying to rebuild the shield.

"Ey!" Down below O'Chunks cheered. "That shield be down!" He then punched through one of the vines that Dimentio had summoned. Picking up a very large rock. "It's time to attack!"

Several large boulders, rubies and blasts of physic ability rained down on Dimentio. Causing him to rapidly dodge the barrage of attacks. Mr. L charged into him again while he was distracted.

"What are you doing!" Dimentio snarled. "You think you can defeat me. I am your Overlord!"

But Mr. L didn't hear him, his heart was beating loudly in his ears. "This is for Bleck's Minions!" He punched harder, causing what remained of the shied that Dimentio tried to put back up to crumble. "This is for Peach!" This punch ripped a hole through one of his hands. "This is for Mario!" Mr. L punched him closer to the void. "This one if for Luigi!" A massive crack appeared across Dimentio's mask, causing thick black smoke to seep out.

"Stop it! Stop it now! I command you!" Dimentio snarled, digging his fingers into Mr. L's neck. But nothing could hold him back now.

"And this- this is for me." Mr. L's voice cracked bending his arm back as far as he could. "This is for everything you have done to me!"

Mr. L punched through him, not just in the spiritual sense to remove the Chaos Heart from Dimentio. But physically too. Leaving his arm caked in a thick black tar like liquid. In his hand was the Chaos Heart, beating wildly since it's back in the grip of it's chosen host.

Dimentio screamed, before laughing again. "You can't just kill me. I'll always come back. I'll always be stronger than you. I- I'll always be here!"

"I know." Mr. L's voice was low. Dragging both the Chaos Heart and Dimentio up to the void.

He first pushed the Chaos Heart in, not even wincing when it had let out an unnatural screech. The Void began to shake, at the sudden burst of energy that was not supposed to be absorbed began to eat away at it from the inside out. The Void was only supposed to destroy the world around the Chaos Heart, after that the Chaos Heart then absorbs the Void itself.

But it wasn't enough. Mr. L then lifted the weakened Dimentio up by his shoulders. Staring into the hallowed, cracked mask that was his face. It was a mask that had only brought him grief, the very face of his nightmares.

"You'll always be mine..." Dimentio's voice was hoarse. "As long as you live, I'll always find a way to get you." He cackled. "And I'll take away everything that you hold close."

"No." Mr. L felt numb, his grip on Dimentio's cloak tightened. "You will never hurt me again."

"How do you know?" Dimentio smiled. His body violently twitching.

Mr. L paused, trying to find the words to describe this new emotion inside of him. He never stood up to Dimentio before, so the feeling was new. Finally, he understood. It almost made him weep. "Because I am not afraid of you anymore."

Dimentio had let out his own unearthly screech as the Void began to eat at him. Mr. L began to scream himself, letting years of torment and pent up aggression out. Dimentio continued to struggle to break free, digging into Mr. L's arms. Desperately trying to claw his way out.

Then there was silence.

Down below, the others could only witness the Void shifting slightly. But remain unchanged.

"The Void is too big!" E. Gadd shouted, at the unmoving force. "The Chaos Heart and Dimentio had started the reaction. But we need another force in there to do the job."

Merlee crossed her arms. "Mr. L could use his Chaos Heart."

"Wait! No!" Peach stood up in panic. "Mr. L!" She called up to him. "Don't do it! There has to be another way!"

"Peach." Mario stared at her like she sprouted a second head. "What are you doing? That's the only way we could stop it."

"No, you don't understand." Peach cried. "The Chaos Heart is keeping Mr. L alive. If he destroys it, he'll die!"

Luigi gasped, sitting up. But Mario stopped him before he could fall over. Merlee stepped forward. Shaking her head.

"I am sorry. We did not know." She looked up at Mr. L, and she could tell that he was debating this himself. Even though he was too far away to actually hear them.

"Wait!" Nastasia gasped. "The Pure Hearts! We could use the Pure Hearts!"

"Excellent!" Merlee pointed to Nastasia. "But we must hurry. Mr. L isn't from this world. He has no real connection here."

"What does that supposed to mean?" Mario asked, panic in his voice.

"It means, if Mr. L dies. We can not bring him back."

As Nastasia ran away, Merlee shouted out one final warning. "And be careful! The Pure Hearts are very fragile!"

Meanwhile Mr. L continued to stare into the Void. It's force unable to pull him in because of the Chaos Heart that is inside of him. It took a lot of his energy to force the other Chaos Heart in and he was starting to feel the strain on his body. He looked into the inky blackness, an unstoppable force of destruction and pain. He wondered if it was looking back at him.

His wings continued to fight for him to stay up. As he finally he let the tears run down his face, but now it was from joy. He was free. This horrible burden that was inside of him was gone, it made him feel light. For once he felt truly happy, and there was nothing that could bring him down. Even his own death.

He knew that he didn't have much time, this chain reaction that both the original Chaos Heart of this world and Dimentio had started isn't going to last for long. He knew that the one inside of him was enough. It had already consumed an entire world and had grown in power. Especially when Mr. L finally gained the skill to actually use it, to gain complete control over it.

He also knew that this happiness wouldn't last for long. The Chaos Heart, especially one this powerful is too influential with his emotions to really leave him alone. Dimentio was right about one thing, the Chaos Heart stains it's hosts after awhile.

Mr. L turned to look down at the group who stared helplessly up at him. His friends, his family. He hopes that they know that he's okay with this. In his mind he imagined that Pauline was down there too. Would she reach out to him, would he see her mouth an 'I love you'? Or would she be just a frozen as the others. He doesn't really know. But he does know one thing. To live in a world without them, it wouldn't be a world he would like to take part in.

Like he had seen Dimentio do to him many times, even though he didn't fully understand how or why. Mr. L's hand began to ghost through his chest. Causing a horrible burst of pain to ripple though his body. He bared his teeth, his hand sinking in deeper.

With a gasp, he finally was able to rip out his Chaos Heart. But it wasn't in the shape like he remembered it to be. It had actually taken the shape of a real heart. Though he couldn't think much of the reasoning behind why it had taken this form.

"I- I'm sorry." He managed to say, though the people he meant to apologize to couldn't hear him. Without any more hesitation, Mr. L lets out a final scream. Plunging the heart into the Void, using up the last of his strength to do so.

The Void then began to tremble, as it became horribly misshaped and unbalanced. Then finally collapsing in onto itself. It's end being a massive explosion, throwing Mr. L back.

He didn't bother to shield himself from the bright light. Or flinch when the wings and mask crumbled into nothing. He couldn't move, he could barely breathe.

With enough force to form a small crater Mr. L hits the ground, sliding into the wood until his body came to a stop. His shouts were muffled. His body violently twitching, struggling to function as it began to shut down.

"Mr. L!" Both Mario and Luigi shouted, Luigi finally gaining the energy to move towards Mr. L. Stumbling as he did to make it to the youngest. Mario joined him on the other side.

"No, please. Hang in there." Luigi gently lifted his head with one hand, and holding Mr. L's hand with the other. Luigi continuing to fight with his body to stay upright, but the world around him just felt uneven.

"I got it!" Nastasia finally made it back onto the roof. "It took me awhile to pry it off the pillar."

"Good!" Mario called out. "Bring it over here!"

Nastasia picked up her pace, carrying the Pure Heart close to her chest. But what she didn't see was that one of the vines that Dimentio had created was still alive, slithering out to catch Nastasia by the ankle. She didn't catch herself on time, the Pure Heart slipping from her fingers.

"No!" Luigi felt another burst of energy return to his legs. Running as fast as he could before diving after the Pure Heart.

But he was too late.

"No..." Luigi could only stare down at the broken pieces of what was left of the Pure Heart. Desperately he tried to put it back together. Nastasia remained where she fell, frozen at the sight of the broken Pure Heart.

Peach ran over, taking his hands away from the pieces. She was too far away to do much of anything, all of them were. "Luigi." She pulled him up. "I'm sorry."

Luigi shook his head. "No, we can fix it. We don't have the time to go back and get another. We can fix it."

"Luigi." Mario called out. "I'm sorry."

Luigi turned to see that Mr. L was still, breathing shallow. Mimi crawled up, curling up against his chest. O'Chunks stood next to Merlee, keeping a respectful distance.

Silently, Luigi returned to Mr. L's side. Gently petting the top of his head, removing the stray hairs from his face. "It's okay..." He whispered. "It's going to be okay..."

Mr. L managed to crack his eyes open, looking over to Luigi. His mouth twitched into a smile, mouthing something that Luigi couldn't understand before his eyes finally sliding shut. Taking in one more breath until his chest finally goes still.

...

It was raining pretty hard this afternoon. But Luigi sat comfortably under the large tent that was set up. He sat alone, in the front row of several cheap folding chairs. The coat of his suit was pretty thick, durable for this kind of weather. He hated this suit though, then again Luigi never really felt comfortable wearing all black to begin with.

Soon Mario joined him in the chair next to him, he was wearing a suit very similar to Luigi. "You can't sit out here all day. You know." He whispered. "You're going to get sick."

Luigi remained silent, staring at the dark green casket in front of him. It was made of metal, along with black and silver details. Mr. L would've loved it. Mostly because Luigi managed to have it made from the remaining pieces of Brobot that was salvaged from the Whoa Zone.

"Luigi?" Mario asked, afraid to raise his voice. Luigi remained silent, as if he didn't hear him at all.

"You know he would've loved this." Luigi began. "Rain at a funeral." He looked over to Mario with a weak smile.

"Yeah." Mario retuned the smile. "All that was needed was for Pauline to throw herself onto his casket saying 'take me with you!'"

This time Luigi laughed. "Yeah, he would've especially loved that. What a drama queen!" Mario nudged him again, joining in in the laughter. It felt good to laugh. It was a good distraction for the both of them.

Luigi took out a tissue from his pocket, wiping an eye. His eyes and nose were already red from crying for most of the day. "I can't believe that she actually came." He said, folding the tissue and stuffing it back into his pocket.

"Yeah. Peach said that when she called to tell her what happened, Pauline sounded devastated." Mario sighed, crossing his arms. They didn't expect Pauline to actually show up, but she did. Leaving a single red rose on the casket. Mr. L would've lost his mind about that.

"Salvatore 'Mr. L' Segale?" Mario looked over at the grave stone, clearly amused. "Why didn't you just put 'Mr. L' on the grave marker?"

"I wanted him to have his own name, not just 'Mr. L'. He deserved that." Luigi's voice was low, as if telling Mario this was some sort of secret. "He deserved to have a real name of his own."

Mario nodded, very approving of the name. Salvatore, a very strong name. Perfect for Mr. L. "So you named him after Papa?"

"They would've gotten along very well." Luigi sighed at the memory of their father. "They had the same sense of humor."

"That they do." Mario laughed. He paused. "Hm.."

"What is it?" Luigi looked away from the casket to look at Mario. He was making a face as if he was in deep thought.

"Luigi, what was that thing that Mr. L said. With how he got here?" Mario looked over at Luigi. "I forgot how it went. You know I'm not good at this science stuff."

"Well.." Luigi began, digging through his memory. "Um, he said something like... Time not being a very linear thing." Luigi looked back at the casket. "He described time as a hallway you're walking through. Then you come across two doors. A left one and a right one. You have a choice. So you pick the right." Luigi paused, his arms crossed, leaning back into his chair. Staring down at his shoes in deep concentration. "So he said that time would have split into an alternate reality where you had chosen the left door, and all the consequences and events that would unfold in the other path you had taken."

"The other path?" Mario's gaze drifted back from the casket to Luigi. "What about the other path?"

Luigi was about to explain it again, figuring that Mario just didn't understand the concept or if he didn't explain it that well. Then it hits him, and he gave Mario a knowing look. "Yeah, what about the other path...?"

End of Chapter


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: The Other Path**

In another branch of time, Nastasia finally made it back to the roof, slamming the door open.

"I got it!" Nastasia called out to the others, clearly out of breath. "It took me awhile to pry it off the pillar."

"Good!" Mario called out. "Bring it over here!"

Nastasia picked up her pace, carrying the Pure Heart close to her chest. But what she didn't see was that one of the vines that Dimentio had created was still alive, slithering out to catch Nastasia by the ankle. She didn't catch herself on time, the Pure Heart slipping from her fingers.

"No!" Luigi felt another burst of energy returning to his legs. Running as fast as he could before diving after the Pure Heart.

This time he caught it.

Cradling the Pure Heart close to his chest, like it was one of the most precious thing he would ever hold. Luigi returned to Mr. L's side, gently placing the Pure Heart on his chest, before taking his hands and resting them across it. With Luigi holding the hands there to prevent them from falling off. Mario then placed his own hand on top of Luigi's to help hold it down.

"Mr. L?" Luigi leaned in closer, as if he was telling him a secret. "You were right about one thing, I can't do everything for you, and this.." He trailed off, desperately trying to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. "This is one of them."

Mr. L remained still, but Luigi continued on. "I just want you to know, that we still need you here. After everything that has happened, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to live... That's why you are here, you're apart of this world now, you're apart of this family now. This is your home. We love you, we all love you so much..."

Silence, Luigi tried to keep his breath steady. Trying to hold it together, despite how still Mr. L was.

Suddenly, Luigi felt the sensation of his and Mario's hands slowly lowering, as the Pure Heart sank into his chest. Luigi sobbed in relief as his hand finally met Mr. L's chest, and he felt a heartbeat. Soon a bright light shined under their palms, also shining through Mr. L's eyelids and lips.

Slowly, just like how it arrived, the light died down. Leaving Mr. L very still for just a moment. Before his back arched, mouth agape. Letting out a loud gasp. His eyes were screwed shut, but his grip on Luigi's arm was strong. He then fell limp again.

"Mr. L?" Luigi shook his shoulders, when he didn't respond he began to panic until Mario stopped him.

"Luigi." Mario smiled, hand on Luigi's shoulder. "It's okay, it's going to be okay... He's just unconscious."

...

Mr. L found himself standing in a dark place. He could still feel his body, and he knew that he was unconscious. Is this is his mind? Is he dying? He wasn't so sure and it scared him.

So he stood there, not really knowing what to do. He tried to remember if he was ever in this state of mind. Maybe when Luigi was in control of this body he was here. He had some vague memory of it, but most of it had clouded over time. Like he wasn't supposed to remember this place.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to be face to face with... Luigi.

But it wasn't the Luigi that he had gotten to know since he left his timeline. This was his Luigi, the original owner of this body.

"Mr. L." Luigi wasn't transparent like he expected him to be for a ghost. Or maybe they're both transparent. Mr. L didn't really know how this state of mind should work. But he was relieved to see that he wasn't alone after all. Luigi just smiled, eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so proud of you."

"I thought you... I thought you died." Mr. L said, with a bewildered smile. Not wasting another moment he hugged him. Happy to actually finally meet his Luigi, to actually hold him instead of just hearing his voice.

Luigi returned the gesture. "I did, but I had no place to go, and I was too weak to help you. Until you had set that Chaos Heart free, until.. you had set all of us free." He lets go, taking a step back. "So now, I have to go."

"Wait." Mr. L gasped. "I still need you, you can't leave now. I just got you back!"

"But Mr. L." Luigi shook his head with a short laughed. As if there was some kind of joke that just went over Mr. L's head. "I didn't leave you. I'm still here. I'm holding your hand right now. I'm begging you to wake up."

Mr. L suddenly felt the sensation of someone holding his hand, even though Luigi was standing a few feet away. He was still here, wasn't he? He's going to wake up and it would be as if Luigi had never died.

"But where would you go?" Mr. L asked. Luigi just nodded, and Mr. L could feel his joy radiate off of him. He didn't really need an answer, but he got one anyway.

"Home." Luigi sounded breathless. "I'm going home...Mr. L, I- I can hear them call me." He could see that Mr. L was still confused.

"But the Void had destroyed everything, how can you go home." Mr. L asked, feeling somewhat overwhelmed at the thought of their home still existing. He felt happy for Luigi, of course. But was still sad to see him go. Luigi shook his head, giving him a knowing smile.

"There are some things that are more powerful that the Chaos Heart and the Void." Luigi stated. "Something that Dimentio would never understand... It's love. I know it's cheesy and silly. But it's love, and now you can fully experience it. You're free."

"What happened to the Chaos Hearts? What happened to Dimentio. Are they really gone?" Mr. L asked, feeling panic rise in his chest. This was too good to be true, every time Mr. L thought he was free from his nightmare, it has always sucked him back in.

Luigi shook his head. "The Void still exists, but it's in a place where it could hurt no one. Dimentio is there too. I can see him. Floating in nothingness, where he belongs. He's a prisoner, but this time he can never escape again." Luigi paused. Happy to see the look of relief on Mr. L's face. "But that's where I'll be going too."

"But why?" Mr. L stepped closer to Luigi. "Why would you go there? If it's Dimentio's punishment.. Then why let it be yours too?"

"When the Void destroyed our world." Luigi began, keeping Mr. L from panicking further. "Where did you think it went? The Chaos Heart is an empty being, that only wished to be whole... That's how you were able to control it so easily, and now it's away from harm. It's in a place Dimentio could never reach."

"What about..." Mr. L stared down at his shoes. "What about our Dimentio."

"He still lives." Luigi sighed. Mr. L gave him a confused and fearful look. But Luigi didn't hesitate to finish his explanation. "Trapped in a world of his own creation. He can create all the living beings he wants." He paused, laughing at the irony. "But they'll never have the capacity to understand real emotions because that is something he can not understand himself. So he'll remain alone. Forever."

"I don't know what to say." Mr. L couldn't help but to join in on the laughter, the irony not lost on him. Luigi placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Just live. For me. That's all I want you to do." Luigi, took a deep breath. "This body is yours, this life if yours and like I had said before, this world is your home now."

Luigi stopped, looking around the area as if he could hear something that Mr. L couldn't. "But it's not mine, and I do have to say goodbye, unfortunately..." He laughed, again. The revelation that he is free himself was just as overwhelming. "M- Mario is waiting for me... I miss him so much."

Mr. L nodded, trying hard not to cry. He hugged him for the final time, just happy to have this one moment with Luigi. Even though he may not remember when he wakes up. This was good enough for him. "Goodbye..."

"I love you, bro." Luigi said, before finally fading away leaving a space in Mr. L's arms where he should be. Instead of his changing his position his arms slowly folded across his chest, eventually hugging himself.

"I love you too." Mr. L said to no one. He's alone now. The energy that surrounded him crackled with excitement as more disembodied voices called out to Luigi, welcoming him home. Then silence.

The excitement that surrounded him finally fading away into a new emotion, something that he never really truly experienced before.

He believes that it is something called peace.

...

Two Years Later.

Mr. L stood by the large window, looking down at the castle gardens while trying to figure out this Grambi-forsaken tie. He growled to himself when he had to undo it and start over again. Mr. L hated tuxedos with a passion and today was no exception.

There was a light knock at the door. "Sal? Are you decent?" It was Luigi.

Mr. L, now known as Salvatore 'Sal' for short and sometimes still 'Mr. L' on the rare occasion sighed in relief. If anyone could figure out this tie, it's Luigi.

"Enter, if you dare." He tried and fail to sound ominous as he called out. Without missing a beat, Luigi walked in. Also dressed up in a tux. A single red rose pinned to his suit jacket just like the one Sal was wearing. A look that the mechanic liked to call the 'mafia penguin'. Luigi's hair was slick back, stupid green cap missing.

Luigi quickly made his way over, tying a perfect bow tie in less than a minute. He then adjusted Salvatore's hair for the umpteenth time. "How can you manage to have near perfect hygiene and yet look so disheveled. I just can't understand you."

"I think it's the beard." Sal scratched the side of his face absentmindedly. His beard was perfectly shaped and trimmed for the occasion. His hair was cut short but still long on top for optimal styling. Today, like Luigi, his hair was slicked back. Despite Sal thinking that he was looking pretty good, Luigi still fussed over him. Wanting this day to be perfect for the newest Mario brother.

Sal is finally at a less scary weight, with him deciding to work on building some lean muscles. He's proud of all the work he had to put in to get truly healthy. The scars may never leave, but he's starting to truly accept them as part of his life now. He was given this body, so he's going to treat it like the precious gift it is.

Luigi placed his hands on Salvatore's shoulders, gently shaking him. "Are you ready?" The other man nodded, his smile being more than enough of an answer.

Mario stood at the doorway, since it was wide open, he knocked on the frame. "Guys, come on. It's showtime." He was dressed identical to them, red rose and all.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sal wrapped an arm around Luigi. The two leaving the room to follow Mario. "On with the show!"

...

Peach's garden was the first place he thought of for this special occasion. It was a place were a lot of important things had happened in his life. Like setting that bird free..

Meeting her.

After defeating Dimentio for the final time, Mr. L had woken up in a hospital room. After the trauma his body went through with ripping out the Chaos Heart and absorbing the Pure Heart. They wanted to keep him here over night for observation. Luigi was kept overnight too in the bed next to him. Though that never stopped him from getting out and staying by his bedside. Afraid of loosing Mr. L after all that had happened.

But what he don't expect was waking up to the woman of his dreams.

Turns out after taking his unconscious body to the hospital. Peach asked Luigi about what exactly happened at New Years, then calling Pauline to tell her about everything that had happened. Peach didn't expect Pauline to come see him, but she did the very next morning. Just in time for Sal to wake up.

Their relationship started there, and after years of dating. They decided to make it official.

So that's how he found himself standing next to Luigi and Mario. With Daisy on the other side. Beside them, not a lot of people were here, with only what remained of Bleck's Minions and a few other friends and family. As they decided that they wanted this to be small. Nothing too fancy, but they still wanted to be in a place that's important to them.

So of course Peach's garden was the perfect place to get married.

Sal waited patiently, watching the doors Pauline was supposed to come out of. But he felt like someone was glaring at him, looking away from the door he decided to return the gesture at the giant ape that just had to be invited.

Of course Pauline is going to invite DK, he is her friend after all, but this doesn't mean that they have to like each other. When they first met, DK immediately decided that he hated the mechanic. It was only after a stern lecture from Pauline that they were on their best behavior. Which was nice, because Sal didn't feel like getting his face bashed in.

His eyes wondered from the giant angry monkey to where he was supposed to be looking out for. His breath caught in his throat.

There, walking down the aisle was what he could only describe as a goddess. Pauline was wearing an off shoulder, long sleeved gown with a heart shaped bodice. The dress was simple, adorned with lace. She wore the necklace he had given her for her birthday. Her hair was up, with a flower crown that also held her veil.

They stood not too far from the fountain where they first met as Peach married them. Though he couldn't really remember what had happened during the ceremony, Pauline completely captivated him. It was when they exchanged rings and when he kissed her, that he knew that this wasn't some wonderful dream. Family and friends loudly cheered for the new couple. Up in one of the castles towers, he heard the large bell ring out.

...

Later the reception was moved from the castle to empty plot of land that once held a huge mansion, or something like that. He doesn't really know. When he asked Luigi about it, he promised that he would tell Sal the full story another time. He doubt he would get it though, Luigi didn't seem too keen on relieving it. He wasn't mad though, so he dropped it. Sal had no problem understanding that some stories aren't meant to be retold.

Poles with festive lanterns on string squared off the area, leaving it the only bright spot in Boo Woods. Several chairs and tables were set up for the guest who brought all sorts of food for the party. Peach had hired a live band to play and most of the evening was spent dancing through the most of the night.

Luigi sat quietly at the corner, watching the party goers with a content smile on his face.

"Bro?"

Luigi turned to see Mario looking at little concerned at they younger brother, silently he scooted over for him to sit next to him. "What are you doing all the way over here?" Mario asked. Luigi just shrugged.

"Just enjoying the view. Nothing special." Luigi yawned, stretching his arms. "It's just been a long day."

"I bet." Mario chuckled. He looked over to see Daisy next to Peach and Pauline, visiting with each other. None of them really getting the time to see each other often.

"You know." Mario began, his voice low, in a teasing sort of tone. "I wouldn't be surprised if Daisy would want to get hitched next."

"Mario!" Luigi playfully shoved him. His face turning scarlet. "No! N- not yet!"

"I'm just pulling your leg, calm down!" Mario playfully shoved back with a laugh. "There's no rush, I don't want my baby brother leaving me anytime soon."

Luigi paused, looking away to hide the guilt that surfaced. Mario's face fell. "Luigi? Are you okay?" Mario asked, but he didn't need his brother to answer, his eyebrows raised in alarm. "Do.. you want to leave?"

Luigi didn't look at him. "I'm sorry..."

"Oh..." Mario stared down at the cup in his hand. Salvatore had already moved into an apartment with Pauline in Crystal City. So they could be close to the old theme park that Pauline partially owned with her siblings. He didn't expect that both of his brothers were going to leave around the same time.

"I'll stay in town." Luigi tried to reassure him. "I'm not going to leave you completely. I just thought..."

"Do you know what?" Mario cuts him off, looking directly at him to show that he was not angry. "As long as you don't leave the country, I'll be okay... Well. When you marry Daisy, you're going to have to move to Sarasaland, so we'll deal with that when it happens.." He paused, Luigi's shoulders dropped in relief.

"Well, of course. I want to stay in town." Luigi sighed. "I just think it's time to branch out, you know."

"That I do." Mario rested a hand on Luigi's shoulder, gently rocking him to the side. "I'd be happy to be your neighbor, bro. Just promise me that you'll come for dinner every Friday." Mario said, as that was something that Salvatore also agreed to do when he first moved out.

"Of course." Luigi returned the smile. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Mario then looked over to Peach, admiring how the light from the lanterns reflected off of her hair. It made his heart skip a beat. She noticed him, blushing at the dreamy look that was on his face. She then smiled, before blowing him a kiss. They started dating a year ago and it just felt like Mario was in a dream himself.

"You know." Luigi leaned in close to him. His voice was low, in the same teasing whisper that made Mario's face go completely red. "Peach might be hearing wedding bells herself."

"Luigi!"

...

Meanwhile, Salvatore approached Pauline, bowing and offering a hand to his new wife. "My darling, may I have this dance."

Pauline laughed, taking his hand. "You shall." Letting him lead her to the dance floor. Sal pulled her close. The band had noticed them and began to play a slower song.

"You look beautiful." He whispered, Pauline sighed. Resting her head on his shoulder.

"Well, you look very handsome too." Pauline said, kissing his cheek. "You clean up so nice."

He laughed, kissing her on her temple. "Luigi thought I still looked really roughed up."

"It's the beard." Pauline said, reaching up to gently tug on his facial hair. "But I think it's cute."

They continued to dance in silence. Simply enjoying each others company. Ignoring that the others had also joined them on the dance floor.

"You know." Sal said, spinning her around. "Apparently it's going to go down hill from here."

"Oh really?" She paused, letting Sal dip her. "Is there a sled?"

"A what?" He asked, eyebrow raised in confusion. He picked her back up in one graceful move. They had taken some dance lessons before the wedding. Pauline insisted, not wanting them to constantly step on each others shoes for their first dance.

"Well." She said, leaning in closer to him. "If it's going downhill, then we should have some fun with it. Right?

It took Sal a moment, before he couldn't help but to laugh. "We'll have one heck of a good time.." He leaned into kiss her. "I love you."

Pauline wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling against his mouth. "I love you more."

In the distance, Brobot shot off fireworks.

The End.

A/N: Told you I'm a sucker for romance. I originally wanted to end it at the last chapter. But I was in the mood to write a happy ending. If you want a sequel, I'm up for it. It would probably be more comedic, like the original stories were. I wish I could write more Mr. L and Pauline for this story, but I just couldn't make it fit. Maybe we'll see more of them in a sequel. But I'll just play it by ear, see where the story would take me. Just part of the writing process, I guess.

As usual, if there's a sequel, I'll post a little preview in a separate chapter here.

And I'll see you in the next story!


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